Skip to main content

Full text of "Historical notes on English Catholic Missions"

See other formats 


I 


m 


m 


HISTOKICAL   NOTES 

ON 

ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


NIHIL  OBSTAT. 

JOSEPH   WILHELM,    S.T.D. 

CENSOR  DEPUTATUS. 

IMPRIMI  POTEST. 

+  GULIELMUS, 

EPISCOPUS   ARINDELENSIS, 

VICARIUS   GENERALIS 

WESTMONASTERII, 

Die  24  Oct.,  1906. 


MAR  -  8  W60 


HISTORICAL  NOTES 

ON 

ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


BY 

BEENAKD   W.  KELLY 

AUTHOR  OF  '  THE  LIFE   OF   CARDINAL  YORK '    '  THE   CONQUEROR  OF   CULLODEN 
'  JAMES   III  AND  VIII '    '  THE  FATE   OF  GLENGARRY  '   ETC. 


1907 

KEGAN  PAUL,  TRENCH,  TEUBNER  &  CO.  LTD. 
LONDON 

B.  HEEDEE 

17   SOUTH   BROADWAY,    ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 


DEDICATED 

TO 

THE  MOST  BEVEEEND  FBANCIS  BOUENE 

AECHBISHOP   OF   WESTMINSTER 


PREFACE 

IN  the  following  pages  some  details  have  been  given  of 
the  Catholic  Missions  in  this  country  from  the  breach  with 
the  Apostolic  See  to  our  own  times.  The  story  of  the 
English  Catholics,  or  the  '  Romance  of  the  Recusants  '  as  it 
has  been  happily  termed,  during  that  long  period  of  trial 
and  proscription  forms  as  interesting  a  narrative  as  any  to 
be  found  in  the  pages  of  modern  history. 

The  downfall  of  the  great  and  ancient  Church  in  these 
realms  after  the  centuries  of  her  flourishing  existence  is  an 
event  which  Newman,  in  a  passage  of  the  noblest  eloquence, 
has  termed  almost  a  miracle.1  Tremendous,  however,  as  was 
the  overthrow,  the  rise  of  the  ancient  faith — kept  alive  here 
and  there  in  the  ancient  halls  and  lowly  cottages  of  the  land — 
from  generations  of  political  oppression  and  social  ostracism, 
is  no  less  a  wondrous  proof  of  '  the  vivifying  principle '  of 
the  'old  religion  '  and  God's  protecting  power.  When  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century  ushered  in  such  momentous 
changes  in  the  state  of  European  governments  and  society, 
the  wrecked  remnant  of  the  ancient  Church  in  England  had 
yet  within  her  the  unquenched  sparks  of  vitality  which  seemed 

1  '  A  great  change,  an  awful  contrast,  between  the  time-honoured  Church  of 
St.  Augustine  and  St.  Thomas,  and  the  poor  remnant  of  their  children  in  the 
beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  !  It  was  a  miracle,  I  might  say,  to  have 
pulled  down  that  lordly  power ;  but  there  was  a  greater  and  a  truer  one  in 
store.  No  one  could  have  prophesied  its  fall,  but  still  less  would  anyone  have 
ventured  to  prophesy  its  rise  again.' — Tlie  Second  Spring. 

a 


viii  ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

to  say  in  encouragement  to  her  scattered  and  dejected 
children,  '  Eesurgam  ' — '  I  shall  arise.' 

With  regard  to  the  historical  introduction  to  the  present 
work,  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  narrate  the  events  which 
marked  the  commencement  of  the  Reformation  in  the  reigns 
of  Henry  VIII.  and  Edward  VI.  or  the  short-lived  Catholic 
restoration  under  Queen  Mary.  As  most  writers  assign  the 
final  and  definite  establishment  of  Protestantism  in  England 
to  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  it  is  from  the  first  year  of  her 
accession  that  we  propose  following  the  rapidly  declining 
fortunes  of  the  ancient  Church.  Moreover,  the  subject  is 
one  wThich  deals  mainly  with  English  Catholicism  in  the 
days  of  its  depression,  far  removed  from  the  historic 
splendours  of  the  mediaeval  religious  polity. 

The  author  is  aware  that  many  of  the  remarks  in  the 
ensuing  notices  of  missions  are  of  a  scanty  and  fragmentary 
nature.  Every  effort  has  been  made  to  exclude  error,  but 
in  a  work  like  the  present  it  is  well  nigh  impossible  to 
prevent  mis-statements  from  appearing,  considering  the 
obscurity  of  much  of  the  subject  and  the  difficulty  of 
obtaining  reliable  information.  Most  publications  of  this 
nature  are  only  perfected  in  course  of  time,  and  the  writer 
will  be  grateful  for  any  corrections  that  may  be  brought 
to  his  notice.  For  the  rest,  reliance  has  been  placed  on 
Catholic  magazines,  newspapers,  county  histories,  private 
memoirs  and  letters  of  the  past  hundred  years.  By  means 
of  these  auxiliaries,  the  author  trusts  that  he  has  put  forward 
a  book  which  will  be  found  useful  for  casual  reference,  and 
if  this  aspiration  is  realised  he  will  feel  that  the  labours  of 
thirteen  years  have  not  been  in  vain.  In  conclusion,  he  begs 
to  acknowledge  his  obligations  to  W.  Simpson,  Esq.,  Park 
Place,  Mitcham,  for  the  use  so  kindly  afforded  of  a  select 
and  valuable  library,  to  the  Very  Eev.  Henry  Canon  Cafferata 
for  several  practical  suggestions,  and  the  Rev.  J.  Wilhelm, 
D.D.,  of  Battle,  for  kindly  supervising  the  proofs. 


ABBKEVIATIONS 


C.J.  . 
C.P.  . 
C.R.L. 

C.SS.K. 

Fr.      . 

I.S.A. 

M.R.  . 

M.S.C. 

O.C.D. 

O.F.M. 

O.P.    . 

O.S.B. 

O.S.F. 

O.S.F.C. 

O.S.M. 

S.C.  . 

S.J.  . 

V.A.  . 

V.F.  . 

V.A.L.D. 
V.A.M.D. 
V.A.N.D. 
V.A.W.D. 
V.G.  . 


=     Congregation  of  Josephites. 
Congregation  of  Passionists. 

-  Canons  Regular  of  the  Lateran. 

-  Congregation    of    the    Most   Holy    Re 

deemer. 

-  Father   (used   in   this    book    for    both 

secular  and  regular  clergy). 
=      Institute  of  St.  Andrew. 
=     Missionary  Rector. 
=     Missionaries  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 
=     Order  of  Discalced  Carmelites. 
=      Order  of  Friars  Minor. 
=     Order  of  Preachers  (Dominicans). 
=     Order  of  St.  Benedict. 
=      Order  of  St.  Francis. 
=      Order  of  Franciscan  Capuchins. 
=     Order  of  Religious  Servants  of  the  Holy 

Virgin,  Servites. 
=      Salesian  Congregation. 
=      Society  of  Jesus. 
=     Vicar  Apostolic. 
=     Vicar     Foraneus,     Vicar     Forane,      or 

'  Rural  Dean.' 

=     Vicar  Apostolic  of  the  London  District. 
=      Vicar  Apostolic  of  the  Midland  District. 
=     Vicar  Apostolic  of  the  Northern  District 
=     Vicar  Apostolic  of  the  Western  District. 
=     Vicar-General. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

The  following  are  the  chief  sources  of  information  consulted  in  drawing  up 
the  present  work : 

1.  'Eecords  of   the  English  Province  of   the  Society  of  Jesus,'   by  Brother 

Foley. 

2.  Mr.  J.  Orlebar  Payne's  '  Old  English  Catholic  Missions  '  and  '  Kecords  of 

the  English  Catholics  of  1715.' 

3.  '  The  Catholic  Church  in  England  and  Wales  during  the  last  two  Centuries,' 

edited  for  the  XV.  Club  (Burns  and  Gates,  1892). 

4.  '  Catholic  England  in  Modern  Times,'  by  Kev.  J.  Morris,  S.J.  (Burns  and 

Gates,  1892). 

5.  '  Troubles  of  Our  Catholic  Forefathers,'  by  the  same. 

6.  '  Historical   Memoirs   of   the  English,  Irish,   and    Scottish  Catholics,'   by 

C.  Butler  (London  :  John  Murray,  1819). 

7.  '  The  Catholic  Magazine,'  1832-35. 

8.  '  The  Catholic  Miscellany,'  1823-24. 

9.  The  '  Orthodox  Journal,'  1839-42. 

10.  The  '  Tablet,'  weekly  newspaper,  1840-1906. 

11.  Lewis's  '  Topographical  Dictionary  of  England  and  Wales.' 

12.  Lingard's  '  History  of  England.' 

13.  Challoner's  '  Memoirs  of  Missionary  Priests.' 

14.  '  Religious  Worship  Census,'  1851  (Eyre  and  Spottiswoode,  1853). 

15.  '  Bibliographical  Dictionary  of  the  English   Catholics,'  by  Joseph  Gillow, 

(Burns  and  Oates). 

16.  'The  Laity's  Directory,'  1793  and  1824-38. 

17.  '  The  Catholic  Directory,'  1838-1906. 

18.  'The  London  Catholic  Directory  and  Almanac,'  1900-1906. 

19.  '  The  Downside  Review  '  (various  numbers). 

20.  '  Catholic  London  a  Century  Ago,'  by  Mgr.  Canon  Ward. 

21.  'The   Franciscans   in   England,'    1600-1850,   by   Rev.   Father   Thaddeus, 

O.F.M.  (Art  and  Book  Co.,  1898). 

22.  'The    History    of     Sedgley    Park    School,'    by    Mgr.    F.    C.   Husenbeth 

(Richardson  and  Son,  1856). 

23.  '  The  Catholic  Times,'  weekly  newspaper,  from  about  1892. 

24.  '  Collections,'   by   George  Canon  Oliver,  D.D.  (London :    Charles  Dolman, 

1857). 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


HISTOBICAL   INTBODUCTION 


TILL  the  researches  of  modern  historians  proved  the  contrary, 
a  widespread  belief  existed  in  this  country  that  the  accession 
of  Elizabeth  was  hailed  by  the  majority  of  the  nation  as 
the  deliverance  of  an  enthralled  and  coerced  people  from  the 
bondage  of  Kome.  In  view,  however,  of  known  facts,  even 
hostile  critics  are  forced  to  admit  that  the  final  establishment 
of  the  tenets  of  the  Eeformation  in  England  was  the  out 
come  of  a  slow  process  of  evolution — assisted,  it  is  true,  by  a 
protestant  legislature  and  several  favourable  local  circum 
stances,  but  still  an  evolution — which  lasted  the  greater  part 
of  a  century.  At  the  outset,  little  if  anything  presaged  the 
ultimate  and  mighty  change,  The  Queen  received  the  con 
gratulations  of  the  episcopate  with  approbation  and  caused 
Masses  to  be  duly  sung  for  her  sister's  soul.  In  her  own 
domestic  chapel  she  continued  to  be  present  at  the  august 
sacrifice  of  the  Catholic  Church,  frequently  availed  herself 
of  Confession,  manifested  respect  for  sacred  images  and 
pictures,  and  was  '  indulgent  to  the  affectionate  practice  of 
praying  for  the  souls  of  the  departed.'  In  a  word,  she 
showed  by  her  whole  demeanour  her  resolution  of  abiding  by 
her  solemn  oath  to  the  late  Queen  *  to  live  and  die  a  true 
Roman  Catholic.'  L 

1  Mackintosh,  History  of  England)  vol.  iii.  ohap.  1. 

B 


2  ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

Of  the  relative  religious  belief  of  her  subjects  it  is  not 
so  easy  to  speak.     It  may  perhaps  be  safe  to  say  that  about 
two-thirds  of  the  middle  and  lower  classes  were  professedly 
Catholic.     London  and  the  eastern  home  counties  contained 
a  large  number  of  protestants.     With  regard  to  the  nobility 
and  superior  gentry,  '  they  had,'  writes  one  of  the  foreign 
ambassadors  about  this  time,  '  no  other  religion  but  their 
own  interest,  and  were  ready  at  the  call  of  the  ruling  power 
to  embrace  Judaism  or  Mahometanism.' l     This  verdict  is 
amply  endorsed  by  the  conduct  of  the  governing  classes  of 
the  day.     In  the  second  parliament  of  Edward  VI.  Cranmer's 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  had  been  extolled  as  '  the  work  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,'  while  the  same  assembly  in  the  first  year 
of  the  reign  of  Mary  denounced  the  doctrines  of  protestantism 
as  '  a  new  thing  imagined  and  devised  by  a  few  of  singular 
opinions  '  and  acknowledged  that  they  and  their  countrymen 
had  been  guilty  of  '  a  most  horrible  defection  from  the  true 
Church  of  Christ.'     It  soon,  however,  became  apparent  that 
the  predilections  of  the  new  Sovereign  were  in  the  direction 
of  the  [Reformers.     On  Christmas  Day  1559,  as  the  Bishop 
of  Carlisle  was  vesting  for  Mass,  he  received  a  royal  order 
not  to  elevate  the  Host.     '  My  life,'  replied  the  prelate,  '  is 
the  Queen's,  but  my  conscience  is  my  own.'     The  sacred 
rite  proceeded,   but   the   Queen   retired   after   the    Gospel. 
Shortly  after  this,  a  royal  proclamation  appeared  command 
ing  certain  parts   of   the  liturgy  to   be   read  in  the  vulgar 
tongue,  and  all  parish  churches  throughout  the  land  were 
ordered  to  model  their  services  after  the  rites  and  ceremonies 
observed  in  her  Majesty's  Chapel  Royal. 

Alarmed  by  these  and  other  sinister  prognostications,  the 
bishops  sorrowfully  but  firmly  refused  to  assist  at  the 
coronation  of  a  princess  so  filled  with  disaffection  towards 
the  Church.  Eventually,  Oglethorp  of  Carlisle  was  induced 
to  pontificate  at  the  ceremony  and  placed  the  royal  diadem 

1  Jjetter  of  the  Venetian  ambassador,  MSS.  Barberini,  1208. 


HISTOKICAL  INTRODUCTION  3 

on  his  Sovereign  who  swore  '  to  maintain  the  laws,  honour, 
peace  and  privileges  of  the  Church  as  they  existed  in  the 
time  of  King  Edward  the  Confessor.'  The  almost  immediate 
violation  of  this  solemn  engagement  by  the  Queen  is  said  to 
have  hurried  the  prelate  to  his  grave. 

Foreseeing  the  coming  storm,  the  Convocations  of  York 
and  Canterbury  hastened  to  declare  their  unanimous  belief  in 
all  the  doctrines  of  the  Ancient  Church,  including,  of  course, 
the  very  keystone  of  ecclesiastical  unity  and  discipline,  the 
supremacy  of  the  Apostolic  See.  The  matter  had,  however, 
passed  from  theologians  to  legislators,  and  already  the 
Cabinet  was  drafting  the  bill  which  was  to  sever  England 
from  the  Universal  Church.1 

On  January  25,  1559,  the  Queen  convoked  her  first 
Parliament.  The  session,  which  was  to  be  so  full  of  detri 
ment  to  Catholic  interests  in  the  country,  opened  with  a 
solemn  high  Mass  at  which  her  majesty  and  the  Court 
attended.  The  principal  business  of  the  legislature,  thus 
strangely  inaugurated,  was  the  suppression  of  the  spiritual 
jurisdiction  of  the  Holy  See,  and  declaring  the  Queen  the 
*  supreme  governor  '  of  the  English  Church.  A  copy  of  the 
resolution  of  Convocation  referred  to  above  had  been  pre 
sented  to  both  Houses  by  the  ecclesiastical  authorities  as  being 
the  written  pledge  of  England's  union  with  the  Universal 
Church.  Another  document — couched  in  similar  terms  of 
obedience  to  the  Roman  pontiff — was  at  the  same  time  pre 
sented  by  the  universities  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge.  The 
struggle  in  Parliament  was  long  and  severe,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  ten  out  of  the  twenty-six  sees  were  vacant  and 
five  new  peers,  '  of  protestant  principles,'  had  just  been  added 
to  the  upper  chamber.  The  religious  revolution  abolishing 

1  Many  of  the  members  of  this  Cabinet,  notably  Burleigh  and  Walsingham, 
had  distinguished  themselves  in  the  previous  reign  by  their  pretended  zeal  for 
Catholicism  and  active  persecution  of  the  protestants.  See  Milner,  Letters  to 
a  Prebendary. 

B2 


4  ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

the  papal  supremacy  and  restoring,  with  some  slight  modifica 
tions,  the  second  Prayer  Book  of  Edward  VI.  was  accom 
plished  by  the  narrow  majority  of  three ! 

When  the  oath  of  acquiescence  in  the  new  order  of  things 
came  to  be  administered,  the  bishops,  with  the  exception  of 
Kitchen  of  Llandaff,  '  the  Calamity  of  his  See 3  as  Camden 
calls  him,  refused  to  subscribe  and  were  deprived.  Their 
example  was  followed  by  about  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
nine  heads  of  colleges,  canons,  prebends,  and  inferior  clergy. 
Dodd,  in  the  second  volume  of  his  Church  History,  gives  the 
number  of  parochial  rectors  who  refused  the  oath  as  one 
hundred  and  fifty.  With  regard  to  the  rest  of  the  clergy, 
their  conduct  is  but  another  instance  of  what  so  frequently 
happens  in  times  of  religious  revolution  when  worldly 
advantage  is  balanced  against  the  dictates  of  conscience. 
The  majority  took  the  oath,  some  subscribing  unwillingly, 
others  with  reservations.  To  many  it  was  not  administered 
at  all.  In  hundreds  of  parishes,  especially  in  the  north,  the 
sacrifice  of  the  Mass  and  the  other  liturgical  rites  of  the  old 
religion  continued  to  be  practised  for  years.  The  great 
officers  of  State  do  not  seem  to  have  been  greatly  troubled, 
at  least  at  the  outset,  on  the  subject  of  the  royal  supremacy. 
Sir  Anthony  Browne,  Lord  Chief  Justice  of  the  Common 
Pleas,  in  spite  of  his  known  attachment  to  the  ancient 
Church,  was  confirmed  by  Elizabeth  in  his  high  office  which 
he  held  till  his  death  in  1567. 

However  many  of  the  clergy  may  have  outwardly  con 
formed  at  the  time  the  Act  of  Uniformity  was  passed,  it  is 
equally  certain  that  numbers  of  these  afterwards  repented  of 
their  conduct,  resigned  their  livings,  and  left  the  country. 
From  1560  to  1568  the  land  was  almost  destitute  of  ministers. 
So  great  was  the  dearth,  that,  as  Hallam  observes,  '  it  was 
a  common  practice  to  appoint  laymen,  usually  mechanics,  to 
read  the  services  in  the  vacant  churches.'  '  So  many  churches 
in  country  towns  and  villages  were  vacant/  says  Neal,  '  that 


HISTORICAL   INTRODUCTION  5 

in  some  places  there  was  no  preaching  nor  so  much  as  read 
ing  a  homily  for  many  months  together.  In  sundry  parishes 
it  was  hard  to  find  persons  to  bury  the  dead.'  Heylin  re 
marks  that  the  new  clergy  '  was  made  up  of  cobblers,  weavers, 
tinkers,  tanners,  card-makers,  fiddlers,  tailors,  bagpipers 
&c.' l  In  the  diocese  of  Ely  a  hundred  parishes  were  without 
ministers  during  the  year  1560,  and  in  1562  two-thirds  of 
the  benefices  of  the  diocese  of  Norwich  were  unoccupied. 
The  Bishop  of  Bangor  about  the  same  time  complained 
that  he  had  but  two  preachers  in  his  diocese.  In  1563 
Thomas  Wylliams,  Esq.,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons, 
drew  attention  to  the  fact  that  many  of  the  great  market 
towns  were  without  either  school  or  preacher. 

In  no  quarter  was  the  change  in  religion  more  severely 
felt  than  at  Oxford.  For  several  years  after  1559  the 
exodus  of  the  fellows  and  students  was  so  great  that,  ac 
cording  to  the  antiquarian  Wood,  '  the  University  seemed 
destroyed.'  Jewel,  Bishop  of  Salisbury,  complained  that 
there  were  not  above  two  men  at  Oxford  of  the  reformed 
opinions  and  these  '  so  dispirited  as  to  be  good  for  nothing.' 
As  late  as  1578  seventy-six  out  of  the  eighty  members  of 
Exeter  College  are  described  by  Strype  as  being  '  secret  or 
open  Koman  affectionaries.' 2 

More  eloquent  than  the  protests  and  resignations  of 
Church  dignitaries  and  scholars  was  the  far-famed  Northern 
Kising  of  1569.  Led  by  the  Earls  of  Northumberland  and 
Westmoreland,  and  having  for  object  the  restoration  of  the 
Ancient  Faith  and  the  liberation  of  the  Queen  of  Scots  from 
her  English  prison,  it  speedily  assumed  the  proportions  of  a 
crusade.  Thousands  of  the  northern  gentry  and  yeomanry 
flocked  to  '  The  banner  of  the  Five  Wounds.'  At  Durham 

1  History  of  the  Reformation.     Hallam,  Constitutional  History. 

•  Annals  of  the  Reformation.  The  Inns  of  Court  in  London  were  also 
regarded  as  '  a  nest  of  papists.'  These  hostels  of  the  law  seem  to  have  had  n 
attraction  for  Catholics.  In  Bishop  Challoner's  time,  1745  81,  the  library  of 
the  clergy  of  the  London  district  was  in  Gray's  Inn. 


6  ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

the  Calvinistic  Bibles  and  Prayer  Books  were  publicly  burnt, 
and  the  Mass  sung  for  the  last  time  in  the  Cathedral  Church. 
The  ill-starred  movement,  as  is  well  known,  ended  in  the 
horrible  vengeance  of  the  Court,  which  afforded  Wordsworth 
a  theme  for  some  of  the  most  pathetic  lines  in  his  '  White 
Doe  of  Kylstone.'  In  his  report  to  the  Queen  relating  to 
the  state  of  the  country  after  the  suppression  of  the  rising, 
Lord  Sussex,  the  royal  commander,  assured  her  majesty  that 

*  there  were  not  ten  gentlemen  in  Yorkshire  that  did  allow 
(approve)  the  proceedings  in  the  cause  of  religion.' 

The  year  of  the  Northern  Rising  marks  an  epoch  in 
the  history  of  ecclesiastical  affairs  in  England.  The  places 
of  the  clergy  and  bishops  deprived  for  refusing  the  oath  of 
supremacy  had  been,  to  a  great  extent,  filled  up  by  protestant 
divines  who  had  fled  abroad  to  escape  the  persecution  in  the 
previous  reign.  Great  numbers  of  these  on  returning  home 
brought  with  them  the  rigid  tenets  and  republican  principles 
of  puritanism  which  in  the  succeeding  century  were  to  have 
so  large  a  share  in  the  great  Civil  War,  the  subversion  of 
the  monarchy  and  the  execution  of  Charles  I.  Their  exces 
sive  zeal  for  '  a  thorough  Godly  Reformation  '  was  for  a  time 
kept  in  check  by  the  authority  of  the  Queen  and  some  of  the 
more  moderate  among  the  protestant  bishops.  *  Up  to  1570,' 
remarks  the  eminent  author  of  the  '  Life  of  Father  Campion,' 

*  Catholic  practices  had  been  allowed  to  linger  in  the  Estab 
lishment  ;  now  after  the  defeat  of  the  northern  rebels  the 
Puritans  found  themselves  strong  enough  to  repress  by  force 
what  they  had  been  obliged  to  connive  at.'     The  Convoca 
tion  of  1571,  presided  over  by  Archbishop   Grindal,  gave 
expression  to  the  wishes  of  the  extreme  party.     '  The  Com 
munion  was  no  longer  to  be  put  into  the  communicant's 
mouth  but  into  his  hand ;  all  ceremonies  and  gestures  not 
prescribed  in  the  Prayer  Book  were  to  cease ;  people  were 
to  communicate  three  times  a  year,  not  like  the   Papists 
at  Easter  or  Christmas,  but  on  Ash  Wednesday  and  one  of 


HISTORICAL   INTRODUCTION  7 

the  two  Sundays  before  Easter,  Whitsunday,  and  Christmas. 
All  altars  were  to  be  pulled  down  and  the  altar  stones  de 
faced  and  put  to  common  use.  All  prayers  for  the  dead 
at  funerals  or  commemorations  for  the  dead  to  cease ;  no 
person  was  to  be  allowed  to  wear  beads  or  pray  upon  them 
in  Latin  or  English  or  to  burn  candles  on  the  feast  of  the 
Purification,  or  to  make  the  sign  of  the  Cross  as  he  entered 
the  church.'  l 

In  places  where  Catholic  customs  and  traditions  were 
strong  these  and  similar  orders  remained  for  a  considerable 
time  a  dead  letter,  but  wherever  the  doctrines  of  the  Ee- 
formation  had  taken  root  the  devastation  that  ensued  was 
irreparable.  Sculptured  effigies  of  the  Saviour  and  His 
blessed  Mother,  painted  windows  and  carved  roods  fell  in 
countless  fragments  beneath  the  axes  and  hammers  of  de 
stroying  fanatics.  The  resting  places  of  the  dead  shared 
the  same  fate.  Sepulchral  brasses  and  funeral  monuments 
were  torn  up  and  disposed  of  by  hundreds  till  at  length 
Elizabeth  herself  had  to  intervene  to  save  the  ecclesiastical 
fabrics  of  the  country  from  being  reduced  to  little  more 
than  heaps  of  ruins.2 

It  has  commonly  been  alleged  that  Elizabeth's  chief 
motive  for  rejecting  the  spiritual  authority  of  the  Pope  and 
pursuing  a  hostile  policy  towards  the  Catholics  was  the 
refusal  of  the  reigning  Pontiff,  Paul  IV.,  to  recognise  either 
her  legitimacy  or  title  to  the  crown,  in  view  of  the  superior 
claim  of  the  Queen  of  Scots  as  '  the  nearest  legitimate  de 
scendant  of  Henry  VII.'  The  State  papers  of  Lord  Salisbury 

1  Visitation  articles  of  Archbishop   Grindal   quoted   at  large   in  Richard 
Simpson's  Edmund  Campion  (London,  1867).     Out  of  hatred  for  the  Mass, 
the  altar  stones  were  often  placed  at  the  threshold  of  church  doors  *  to  be 
trodden  under  the  feet  of  men.' 

2  About  4,000  monumental  brasses  are  known  to  exist  in  England  at  the 
present  day.     The  number  destroyed  during  this  period  has  been  estimated 
at  12,000.     The  Queen's  proclamation  against  this  sacrilegious  vandalism  was 
signed  with  her  own  hand  (1560). 


8  ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

at  Hatfield  give  a  totally  different  version  of  the  current 
legend.  Sir  Edward  Carne,  the  English  ambassador  at 
Borne,  in  his  letter  to  Elizabeth  states  that  although  the 
French  Court  had  been  urging  the  Pontiff  to  publicly  recog 
nise  the  Scottish  Queen  as  true  heir  to  the  English  crown,  yet 
the  Pope  absolutely  refused  to  do  anything  against  Elizabeth 
or  her  people  '  unless  the  occasion  be  given  first  thence.'  The 
Queen  herself,  if  we  are  to  believe  Lansac,  the  French 
envoy  extraordinary,  owned  to  him  that  the  spiritual  supre 
macy  belonged  to  St.  Peter's  successors,  but  that  reasons  of 
State  compelled  her  to  assume  it.1  Neither  was  the  animus 
of  Elizabeth's  government  against  the  Catholics  the  result  of 
Pope  Pius  V.'s  Bull  of  Deposition  (1570).  The  persecution 
had  practically  commenced  with  the  Act  of  Supremacy  in 
1559  and  was  intensified  in  severity  by  the  statute  of  1563, 
which  adjudged  the  dreadful  penalties  of  treason  on  all  who 
twice  refused  to  abjure  the  spiritual  authority  of  the  Pontiff, 
which,  needless  to  say,  was  equivalent  to  a  renunciation  of 
the  Catholic  faith. 

So  various  had  been  the  religious  changes  of  the  past 
few  years  in  England,  that  at  first  the  majority  of  Catholics 
in  this  country  hoped  that  the  schism  of  the  realm  from  the 
Universal  Church  would  be  of  but  short  duration.  As  time 
wore  on  and  the  outlook  grew  blacker  every  day,  it  became 
apparent  that  vigorous  measures  would  have  to  be  taken  to 
keep  alive  the  ancient  faith.  The  number  of  '  Queen  Mary's 
priests,'  some  of  whom  resided  in  every  county,  grew  less 
and  less  every  year,  and  others  had  to  be  supplied  to  take 
their  place.  The  exigencies  of  the  time  were  met  by 
Cardinal  Allen's  establishment  of  Douai  College  in  1568, 
and  to  its  halls  the  Oxford  professors  and  students,  opposed 
to  the  recent  innovations,  flocked  by  scores.  Douai,  in  fact, 
became  Oxford  across  the  sea,  and  by  1580  upwards  of  a 
hundred  of  its  alumni  had  gone  forth  to  brave  the  hardships 
1  Answer  to  Sir  Edward  Coke's  Reports,  p.  365. 


HISTORICAL   INTRODUCTION  9 

and  dangers  of  the  English  Mission.  The  missionary 
priests  *  served  as  chaplains  in  private  families.  By  stealth, 
at  the  dead  of  night  in  private  chambers  in  the  secret  lurk 
ing  places  of  an  ill-peopled  country,  with  all  the  mystery 
that  subdues  the  imagination,  with  all  the  mutual  trust  that 
invigorates  constancy,  these  proscribed  ecclesiastics  cele 
brated  their  solemn  rites,  more  impressive  in  such  conceal 
ment  than  if  surrounded  by  all  their  former  splendour.'1 
The  remote  shires  of  Lancashire,  Yorkshire,  and  North 
umberland  were  the  chief  scenes  of  their  Apostolic  labours, 
though  there  is  scarcely  an  old  manor  house  in  the  country 
which  has  not  '  a  priest's  hiding-place  ' — hidden  behind  the 
wainscot  or  buried  far  down  beneath  the  hearth — to  tell  of 
the  heroic  stand  made  by  lord  and  squire  for  the  faith  of  St. 
Augustine  and  St.  Anselm.2 

The  Douai  students,  while  taught  to  prefer  their  religion 
to  every  worldly  consideration,  were  also  carefully  instructed 
to  acknowledge  Elizabeth's  title  to  the  throne  notwith 
standing  the  papal  excommunication  against  her,  and  all 
questions  on  the  Pope's  deposing  power  were  forbidden  to 
be  discussed  even  in  private.  When  Babington's  plot  to 
depose  Elizabeth  and  liberate  the  Queen  of  Scots  became 
known  (1586),  the  divines  of  the  college  warned  the  Catholics 
of  England  against  disturbing  the  government,  and  bade 
them  rely  on  *  prayers  and  tears '  as  the  only  means  of 
bettering  their  miserable  condition. 

The  several  plots  against  the  life  and  regal  dignity  of 
Elizabeth  were,  for  the  most  part,  the  work  of  foreign 
associations  hostile  to  the  Queen  on  political  grounds,  or  the 
phantom  conspiracies  of  Walsingham  and  Burleigh  for  the 
purpose  of  casting  odium  on  the  Catholic  cause.  These 

1  Hallam,  Constitutional  History,  chap.  3. 

2  Hundreds  of  these  secret  refuges  were  made  by  an  ingenious  carpenter 
named  Littlejohn.     Little  is  known  about  him  except  that  he  was  a  hunchback, 
a  man  of  prodigious  strength,  and  a  constant  sufferer  for  the  Catholic  faith. 


10  ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

ministers  had  in  their  pay  a  large  number  of  renegade 
Catholics  and  others  of  dissolute  life,  whom  they  employed 
in  the  odious  business  of  conspiracy  makers.  The  small 
number  of  real  plots  by  native  Catholics  were  the  acts 
of  a  few  men  rendered  desperate  by  violent  and  increasing 
persecution,  and  can  certainly  not  fairly  be  charged  to  the 
general  body  of  English  Catholics,  whose  loyal  conduct 
during  the  Armada  crisis  ought  to  leave  their  patriotism  un- 
impeached.1 

It  must,  however,  be  admitted  that  the  persecution  was 
to  a  large  extent  fanned  by  the  conduct  of  an  Englishman, 
rightly  considered  by  historians  as  one  of  the  most  remark 
able  of  his  time.     The  story  of  Robert  Pearsons  or  Parsons, 
the  Jesuit,  is  that  of  a  life  spent  in  devotion  to   a  cause. 
The  son  of  a  blacksmith  of  Nether  Stowey,  he  was  already 
one  of  the  leading  lights  of  Balliol  College,  Oxford,  when  a 
quarrel  with  Dr.   Squire,  the  president,  brought  about  his 
public  expulsion.     He  returned  from  Rome  six  years  later 
a  Jesuit  priest,  and  at  once   engaged   upon  the  hard   and 
perilous  labour  of  a  proscribed  missioner.     Before  leaving 
the  Eternal  City,  he  had  been  admonished  by  the  General  of 
the  Society  to  avoid  all  meddling  with  affairs  of  State,  but 
a  residence  of    some   months    with  Mendoza,    the  Spanish 
Ambassador  in  London,   would  seem  to  have  insinuated  a 
passion  for  political  intrigue.     From  a  secret  press  at  East 
Ham  he  issued  those  admirably  written  and  argued  contro 
versial  pamphlets  which  nearly  a  century  and   a  half  later 
evoked  the  unqualified  admiration    of   Dean    Swift.      The 
persecution  which  had  been  '  very  severe '  at  the  time  of  his 
landing  now  increased  in  fury,  and  in  1581  Parliament  made 

1  The  long  existence  of  Douai  College  in  France  (1568-1792)  only  served 
to  accentuate  the  thoroughly  English  character  of  its  students.  Charles 
Butler,  the  well-known  lawyer,  who  was  there  in  1763,  declared  that  '  every 
victory  which  the  English  gained  over  the  French  was  a  triumph  to  the 
English  boys,'  and  the  signal  for  patriotic  outbursts  which  the  magistrates  of 
the  town  magnanimously  tolerated, 


HISTORICAL   INTRODUCTION  11 

it  a  capital  offence  to  be  reconciled  to  the  Church. 
Campion,  the  proto-martyr  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  suffered 
in  December,  about  which  time  Pearsons  returned  to 
France. 

It  is  outside  the  scope  of  the  present  work  to  trace  even 
in  outline  the  methods  adopted  by  this  indefatigable  person 
age  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  task.  He  founded  an 
English  College  at  Eu,  afterwards  transferred  to  St.  Omer, 
and  for  years  was  the  presiding  genius  of  that  little  band  of 
refugees  who  looked  to  the  King  of  Spain  for  the  liberation 
of  the  Queen  of  Scots  and  the  restoration  by  force  of  arms  of 
the  ancient  Church  in  these  realms.  The  raid  of  Euthven, 
Throckmorton's  conspiracy,  and  the  overthrow  of  the 
Armada,  mark  the  graves  of  these  high  hopes,  though  to  the 
last  Pearsons  clung  to  the  belief  that  the  sword  of  the  most 
Catholic  King  would  yet  effect  the  spiritual  deliverance  of 
his  countrymen  in  the  faith. 

The  spectacle  of  an  individual  plotting  the  subjugation 
of  his  country  to  an  alien  yoke,  however  repulsive  to  our 
modern  notions  of  patriotism,  was  by  no  means  unique  at 
that  time.  *  He  [Pearsons]  was  all  for  Spanish  interference 
in  England,'  writes  Mr.  Andrew  Lang,  'just  as  Squire 
Western  and  the  Jacobites  at  large  were  all  for  French  in 
terference  ....  Both  Popes  and  foreign  Sovereigns,  Philip  II. 
for  one,  disliked  the  interference  of  the  Jesuits.  Like  Mr. 
Harry  Foker  they  thought  it  a  pity  that  the  clergy  should 
interfere.  But  granting  that  Parsons  intrigued  with  a 
foreign  power  against  the  Government  of  England,  we 
must  remember  that  the  Presbyterian  ministers  were  in 
triguing  with  a  foreign  power  against  the  Government  of 
Scotland.'1 

But  no  act  of  hostility  on  the  part  of  Pearsons  aroused 
more  widespread  resentment  at  home  than  the  publication 
of  his  celebrated  '  Conference  about  the  Succession  to  the 
Article  by  Mr,  Andrew  Lang  in  The  Pilot,  October  12,  1901, 


12  ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

Crowne  of  Ingland.'  It  was  an  historic  plea  for  the  claims 
of  the  Infanta  as  the  successor  of  Elizabeth,  and  the  right 
of  the  people  to  depose  their  rulers  for  heresy.  A  special 
Act  of  Parliament  made  it  death  for  anyone  to  have  a  copy 
of  the  book  in  his  possession,  and  the  fury  of  the  Govern 
ment  of  course  fell  on  the  whole  body  of  English  Catholics. 
That  body  indignantly  repudiated  the  obnoxious  book,  the 
publication  of  which  was  declared  by  the  Nuncio  at  Brussels 
to  be  highly  offensive  to  the  Pope.  The  loyal  services  of  the 
recusants  during  the  invasion  of  the  Armada,  as  well  as  their 
innocence  on  the  present  occasion,  were  ignored,  and  the 
penal  enactments  inflicted  with  a  relentless  hand. 

The  unhappy  influence  of  Pearsons,  it  is  alleged,  was  no 
less  disastrously  felt  in  matters  other  than  high  politics. 
The  difficulty  about  a  supply  of  priests  having  been  sur 
mounted  by  the  establishment  of  '  seminaries  beyond  the 
sea,'  a  desire  arose  among  the  great  majority  of  English 
Catholics  for  episcopal  government  in  place  of  the  extinct 
hierarchy.  The  '  great  want  of  a  bishop  in  England  '  had 
been  acknowledged  by  Pearsons  himself,  yet  it  is  asserted  that 
no  sconer  did  he  become  rector  of  the  English  College  at 
Eome  (1597)  than  he  opposed  any  such  appointment  as 
inopportune.  It  is  further  alleged  that  it  was  his  advice 
which  led  the  Curia  to  adopt  the  archpriest  form  of  govern 
ment.  In  1599  the  Kev.  Geo.  Blackwell,  M.A.,  of  Trinity 
College,  Oxford,  came  to  England  with  powers  to  grant  or 
withdraw  the  faculties  of  the  secular  clergy,  consecrate  the 
Chrism,  and  administer  Confirmation. 

Blackwell's  position  in  this  country  was  one  requiring 
tact  amounting  to  genius,  but  tact  even  of  the  ordinary  kind 
he  does  not  seem  to  have  possessed.  He  is  described  as 
unconciliatory ;  he  was  perhaps  needlessly  severe,  and  in 
November  1600  thirty-three  priests  petitioned  Propaganda 
for  his  removal. 

The   seculars   chose   as   their   delegates   to   Eome    Dr. 


HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION  13 

William  Bishop,  afterwards  Vicar  Apostolic,  and  Mr. 
Eobert  Charnock,  a  Lancashire  gentleman  of  ancient  lineage. 
These  were  further  charged  to  petition  for  bishops  in  ordinary 
and  to  request  that  the  clergy  abroad  might  be  restrained 
from  writing  against  Elizabeth  and  her  ministers,  as  such 
publications  had  no  other  effect  than  to  increase  the  penal 
laws. 

The  delegates  were  arrested  in  Rome  as  factious  persons 
and  confined  in  the  English  College,  whence  they  were 
only  released  at  the  intercession  of  Cardinal  Perron,  the 
French  Ambassador.  The  odium  of  their  imprisonment  has 
been  laid  on  Father  Pearsons,  who  regarded  the  opposition 
to  the  archpriest  as  springing  from  a  spirit  of  rebellion. 
Meanwhile  the  conduct  of  that  dignitary  was  precipitating 
a  crisis.  He  suspended  several  of  the  clergy,  and  the  matter 
was  carried  on  appeal  from  the  Nuncio  at  Brussels  to  the 
Sorbonne.  On  the  affair  going  to  Rome,  the  Pope  wrote 
exhorting  him  to  be  more  prudent,  and  thus  matters  stood 
when  Elizabeth  died  and  James  I.  ascended  the  throne  in 
1603. 

Catholics,  while  appreciating  the  literary  and  maritime 
glories  which  shed  so  bright  a  lustre  over  this  period  of  their 
country's  history,  have  nothing  but  the  darkest  memories 
to  associate  with  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  One  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  priests,  fifty-eight  laymen,  and  two  gentle 
women  suffered  death  for  '  the  spiritual  felonies  and  treasons  ' 
which  were  added  to  the  statute  book  during  this  reign. 
Several  thousand  Catholic  recusants  died  in  prison  from  the 
effects  of  torture  and  other  hardships,  while  very  many  noble 
and  ancient  families  were  reduced  to  ruin  by  the  enormous 
monthly  fines  for  non-attendance  at  the  parish  church. 

The  accession  of  the  Scottish  King,  James  VI.,  to  the 
English  throne  was  hailed  with  joyful  expectation  by  the 
Catholics  of  the  Southern  Kingdom.  As  the  son  of  the 
unfortunate  Mary,  he  was  generally  regarded  as  looking 


14  ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

with  favour  on  his  mother's  co-religionists,  and,  in  the  hope 
of  good  things  to  come,  the  Nuncio  at  Brussels  took  the  pre 
caution  of  warning  the  Catholic  body  in  England  '  to  abstain 
from  even  the  appearance  of  disobedience,'  and  to  show  the 
most  perfect  loyalty  to  the  Government.  The  reigning 
Pontiff,  Clement  VIII.,  also  forwarded  to  the  King  his  heart 
felt  wishes  that  his  Majesty  and  Consort '  might  have  a  long 
and  glorious  reign.'  James,  on  his  part,  was  not  indifferent 
to  these  overtures.  He  remitted  the  fines  for  recusancy, 
liberated  several  priests  from  prison,  and  raised  some 
Catholic  gentlemen  to  the  peerage.  In  private,  moreover, 
he  was  wont  to  speak  of  the  Roman  Church  as  '  the  Mother 
Church,'  and  the  Pope  as  '  the  Patriarch  of  the  West.' 
These  slight  marks  of  royal  favour  excited  the  fiercest  anger 
of  the  Puritans,  who  from  a  small  dissentient  body  had 
become  one  of  the  most  influential  parties  in  the  Kingdom. 
A  large  number  of  the  State  clergy  held  their  opinions  on 
grace  and  predestination,  as  well  as  their  uncompromising 
hatred  of  all  that  savoured  of  the  Ancient  Church.  An 
imperative  demand  for  repressive  measures  against  the 
recusants  arose,  and  James  bowed  to  the  storm.  The  penal 
laws  were  re-enacted  with  increased  severity,  so  that  the  worst 
days  of  the  late  reign  seemed  to  be  suddenly  revived.  Four 
hundred  and  nine  families  were  convicted  of  '  Romish 
recusancy  '  in  Herefordshire  alone,  and  20,000  in  the  West 
Riding  of  Yorkshire ! 

In  view  of  the  intolerable  state  of  things  under  which 
they  lived,  it  is  certainly  not  remarkable  that  a  few  of  the 
most  desperate  among  the  Catholics  should  have  embarked 
upon  the  Gunpowder  Plot  of  1605,  as  a  drastic  means  of 
putting  an  end  'to  the  wickedness  of  the  time.'  A  similar 
design  had  been  resorted  to  a  few  years  before  by  the  pro- 
testants  of  the  Netherlands  against  their  Spanish  oppressors, 
and  horrible  as  the  whole  affair  appears  to  us  of  the  present 
day,  the  circumstances  of  the  case  must  be  strictly  borne  in 


HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION  15 

mind  when  passing  judgment  on  the  '  Gunpowder  treason 
and  plot.'  It  is  further  to  be  remarked,  that  of  the  con 
spirators,  some,  like  Sir  Everard  Digby,  Kobert  Winter, 
Eookwood,  and  the  two  Wrights,  seem  only  to  have  been 
engaged  to  raise  the  insurrection  in  the  midlands,  while 
several  of  the  band  had  for  some  time  outwardly  conformed 
to  protestantism  and  were,  in  fact,  considered  by  Catholics 
to  have  abandoned  their  faith.  On  the  other  hand,  of  the 
five  peers  who  exerted  themselves  in  exposing  the  conspiracy, 
the  Lords  Monteagle,  Worcester,  and  Northampton,  were 
known  to  profess  the  Catholic  religion. 

The  plot  struck  a  blow  at  the  Catholic  cause  in  England, 
the  effects  of  which  are  felt  at  the  present  day.  In  vain  did 
King  James  himself  publicly  exonerate  the  great  body  of  the 
recusants  from  all  guilt  in  the  proceedings,  and  equally  in 
vain  did  the  Pope  and  the  Archpriest  Blackwell  denounce 
the  design  as  '  a  damnable  conspiracy.'  Eighteen  priests 
and  seven  laymen  suffered  death  for  the  exercise  of  the  faith, 
while  a  batch  of  new  statutes  were  added  to  the  already 
grievous  penal  code.  Henceforward,  Catholics  were  de 
barred  from  following  the  professions  of  law  and  medicine, 
were  forbidden  to  be  guardians  or  executors,  or  civil, 
military,  or  naval  officers.  Their  approach  within  ten  miles 
of  London  was  interdicted,  and  children  going  abroad  to 
receive  the  education  they  could  not  get  at  home  forfeited 
their  real  property  to  the  next  protestant  heir. 

The  oath  which  the  Government  about  this  time  pro 
posed  for  Catholics  as  a  means  of  obtaining  some  mitigation 
of  the  penal  code,  served  to  distract  and  perplex  that  body 
more  than  the  combined  enactments  of  the  past  or  present 
reign.  It  condemned  the  deposing  power  of  the  Pope  as 
'heretical  and  damnable,'  and  although  such  power  has 
never  been  an  article  of  Catholic  faith,  the  condemnatory 
words  were  held  at  Rome  to  be  unlawful,  and  the  oath 
itself  was  condemned  by  Paul  V.  as  '  containing  many 


16  ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 

things  contrary  to  faith  and  salvation.'  The  oath,  however, 
was  intended  to  divide  the  Catholic  camp,  and  only  too 
well  did  it  do  its  work.  The  Archpriest  Blackwell  sub 
scribed  to  it  under  fear  of  death,  and  exhorted  several  of  the 
clergy  and  laity  to  do  so  too.  The  refusal  of  the  great 
majority  was  an  excuse  for  the  enforcement  of  the  penal 
laws,  and  several  priests  suffered  at  York  and  Tyburn 
respectively. 

The  Archpriest,  having  lapsed  into  schism,  was  formally 
deposed.  Two  successors,  Dr.  George  Birkhead,  '  a  clergy 
man  of  wise  and  moderate  counsels,'  and  Dr.  William 
Harrison,  held  the  difficult  post  between  1608  and  1621. 
The  unsatisfactory  office  ended  two  years  later  when  the 
Pope  appointed  Dr.  William  Bishop,  Bishop  of  Chalcedon, 
first  Vicar  Apostolic  of  England  with  leave  to  exercise  those 
prerogatives  and  faculties  *  such  as  ordinaries  enjoy  and 
exercise  in  their  cities  and  dioceses.' 

The  Vicar  Apostolic — a  graduate  in  arts  of  Oxford  and  a 
doctor  of  the  Sorbonne — had  already  laboured  for  several 
years  as  a  priest  on  the  English  mission.  He  landed  at 
Dover  on  the  night  on  July  23,  1623,  and  proceeded  on  foot 
to  the  house  of  Sir  William  Roper,  kinsman  of  the  Catholic 
Lord  Teynham.  His  administration  in  England,  however, 
was  of  but  short  duration.  He  instituted  a  dean  and 
chapter,  and  gave  Confirmation  at  various  places  near 
London.  In  March  1624  he  was  seized  with  his  last  ill 
ness  at  Bishop's  Court,  the  seat  of  Sir  Basil  Brooke,  and 
here  he  expired  on  April  16,  in  the  seventy- first  year  of 
his  age. 

The  European  struggle  known  as  the  Thirty  Years' 
War  was  not  without  its  influence  on  political  affairs  in 
England.  The  defeat  of  Frederick  Prince-Palatine,  son- 
in-law  of  James,  by  the  Imperialists  at  Prague,  made  the 
House  of  Commons  resolve  that  '  the  Catholics  at  home 
should  suffer  for  the  success  of  Catholics  abroad.'  A  bill 


HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION  17 

was  prepared  making  two-thirds  of  the  property  of  recusants 
the  possession  of  the  Crown,  and  the  existing  laws  were 
rigidly  enforced.  The  legislature  was  continually  crying 
out  for  fresh  penalties,  and  at  this  period  proceeded  to  a 
step  worthy  of  '  the  worst  days  of  the  Roman  Empire  when 
the  senate  house  was  profaned  by  spies  and  informers.' 
Each  member  of  the  Commons  was  required  to  denounce 
by  name  every  papist  in  his  vicinity,  and  the  odious  list 
was  sent  up  to  the  Lords  for  increased  additions.  That 
assembly,  which  still  had  a  large  proportion  of  Catholic 
peers,  declined  taking  any  part  in  the  proceedings,  and  the 
matter  was  dropped.1 

In  spite  of  the  almost  impossible  conditions  under  which 
the  old  religion  then  existed  in  England,  her  pastoral  zeal 
never,  perhaps,  shone  with  greater  lustre.  Thanks  to  the 
heroic  labours  of  the  missionary  priests,  the  lamp  of  the 
faith  was  never  extinguished  in  the  land  once  renowned 
throughout  the  western  world  as  the  Isle  of  Saints  and 
most  devoted  daughter  of  the  Church.  A  multitude  of 
persons,  whom  fear  of  punishment  or  worldly  considera 
tions  had  induced  to  abandon  their  religion,  were  reconciled 
to  Catholicism,  and  in  1623  the  Jesuit  Fathers  alone 
reckoned  their  conversions  in  England  at  no  less  than 
26,000  !  In  1629  the  Franciscan  Province— extinct  in  this 
country  since  1559 — was  revived  by  Father  John  Gennings, 
and  henceforth  the  devoted  sons  of  St.  Francis  took  their 
part  with  the  disciples  of  St.  Ignatius  and  the  secular 
clergy  of  Rome  and  Douai  in  labouring  for  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  their  distressed  countrymen  at  home.2 

1  Mackintosh,  History,  vol.  iv.  chap.  8.  According  to  the  list  thus  drawn 
up,  there  were  thirty-six  Catholics  holding  minor  public  offices  in  England. 
Even  as  late  as  this  the  Catholic  peers  numbered  nearly  one-third  of  the 
House  of  Lords. 

-  Troubles  of  our  Catholic  Forefathers,  edited  by  the  Rev.  John  Morris 
-S.J.  (first  series  1872,  second  series  1875),  The  Franciscans  in  England, 
1600-1850,  by  Rev.  Father  Thaddeus,  O.F.M.  (Art  and  Book  Co.  1898). 

C 


18  ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

So  far,  therefore,  from  benefiting  by  change  of  rulers, 
the  recusants  sank  during  the  reign  of  James  into  that 
state  of  utter  bondage  from  which  they  did  not  commence 
to  emerge  till  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  The 
personal  goodwill  of  the  King  towards  them  was  continually 
frustrated  by  the  implacable  intolerance  of  the  Puritan  party. 
Twenty-seven  persons  suffered  death  for  the  exercise  of  the 
Catholic  religion  during  this  reign,  while  thousands  '  of 
good  estate '  were  brought  to  indigence  by  ruinous  fines. 
Over  and  above  these  hardships  the  Catholic  nobility  and 
gentry  lost  those  numberless  traditional  rights  and  privileges 
which  make  the  condition  of  an  English  gentleman  of 
easy  fortune  one  of  the  most  enviable  social  positions  in 
the  world.1 

The  year  of  the  accession  of  Charles  I.,  1625,  witnessed 
also  the  arrival  of  Dr.  William  Smith,  Bishop  of  Chalcedon, 
the  second  Vicar  Apostolic.  He  settled  the  old  dispute 
between  the  secular  and  regular  clergy  on  the  vexed 
question  of  '  faculties  '  or  canonical  permission  to  say  -Mass, 
hear  confessions,  etc.  The  bishop  likewise  sent  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Harvey,  Archdeacon  of  the  English  Chapter,  to 
assist  in  the  formation  of  the  college  at  Lisbon  for  the 
further  supply  of  the  mission  with  priests  (1625-6).  The 
college,  which  still  flourishes,  has  always  maintained  its 
strongly  national  feeling — a  trait  that  was  dramatically 
illustrated  by  an  incident  that  arose  during  the  Peninsular 
War  and  which  is  commemorated  in  one  of  the  college  songs.2 

1  See   charge   of   the   Lord   Chief   Justice   Cockburn   to   the   jury  at   the 
Tichborne  trial,  1874. 

2  The   president,   Dr.   Allen,   being  asked   to   a   banquet   by   the   French 
Commander  would  only  drink  to  the  toast  of  '  Vive  1'Empereur  '  on  condition 
that  the  French  officers  reciprocally  honoured  '  God  save  King  George.'     The 
verse  recalling  the  incident  runs  thus  : 

'  Nor  forget  we  when  "  Vive  1'Empereur  "  was  the  toast 
How  the  Briton  undaunted  defied  the  proud  boast : 
How  gallant  the  spirit  that  feared  not  to  fling 
In  the  teeth  of  the  Frenchman  his  "  God  save  the  King !  "  ; 


HISTOKICAL   INTRODUCTION  19 

The  first  year  of  the  ill-fated  monarch's  reign  opened  with 
sinister  forebodings  for  Catholics.  The  House  of  Commons, 
which  had  long  become  the  most  intolerant  legislative  body 
in  Europe,  lashed  itself  to  fury  over  a  book  that  had  recently 
appeared  entitled  '  An  Appeal  to  Csesar,'  written  by  one  of 
the  king's  chaplains.  The  object  of  the  book  was  to  promote 
the  reunion  of  the  Anglican  with  the  Catholic  and  Koman 
Church,  *  The  mother  and  mistress  of  all  Churches.'  The 
immediate  result  of  the  publication  was  a  vote  of  the  House 
of  Commons  for  the  enforcement  of  the  penal  statutes. 
Lord  Scroop,  president  of  the  North,  was  charged  with 
favouring  popery  '  by  putting  Catholics  in  the  Commission 
of  the  Peace  and  in  neglecting  to  disarm  Lord  Ewre,  a 
notorious  recusant  in  the  East  Eiding  of  Yorkshire.' 
Happily  for  Catholics  and  Anglicans,  Charles  at  this  junc 
ture  dissolved  Parliament. 

The  presence  of  a  Catholic  queen  at  Court  tended  not  a 
little  to  revive  the  ancient  faith.  In  the  royal  chapel  at 
Somerset  House  there  were  several  Masses  every  day,  and 
such  crowds  resorted  there  for  confession  on  Saturdays  and 
the  vigils  of  great  festivals  that  many  had  to  wait  their  turn 
for  hours.  The  sermons  explanatory  of  the  several  articles 
of  Catholic  faith  resulted  in  numerous  conversions.  On  the 
other  hand,  Henrietta  Maria  was  not  always  prudent.  The 
public  parade  of  the  splendid  rites  of  the  Church  was  cal 
culated  to  excite  the  Puritans  to  frenzy,  as  was  her  pious 
custom  of  resorting  from  time  to  time  to  Tyburn  to  pray 
beneath  the  gallows  consecrated  by  the  sufferings  of  so  many 
martyred  priests  and  laymen.1 

The  state  of  the  Catholics  in  England  had  long  been  a 
cause  of  solicitude  at  Kome,  and  in  1634  Urban  VIII.  sent 
Father  Leander,  a  Benedictine  monk,  to  this  country  to 
draw  up  a  report.  The  envoy  was  a  graduate  of  Oxford 
and  personal  friend  of  Archbishop  Laud.  His  mission  was 

1  The  Court  and  Times  of  Charles  I.  (London,  1848). 


20  ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

one  of  extreme  difficulty.  Many  of  the  clergy  were  dis 
satisfied  with  the  Vicar  Apostolic,  and  looked  forward  to  the 
restoration  of  the  hierarchy.  Worldly  laymen  like  Francis 
Lord  Cottington  and  Sir  Francis  Windebank  were  opposed 
to  the  visit  of  the  envoy ;  others  feared  his  presence  would 
irritate  the  Government  and  increase  the  penal  laws.  Amid 
these  difficult  circumstances,  Leander  behaved  with  a  dis 
cretion  that  cannot  be  too  highly  praised.  He  advised  the 
clergy  to  abstain  from  all  manner  of  offensive  controversy 
and  to  rely  for  the  conversion  of  their  countrymen  on  earnest 
prayer  and  peaceful  expositions  of  the  Catholic  religion,  which 
would  be  listened  to  by  all  of  good  will.  In  his  report  he 
advised  a  return  to  the  archpriest  system  and  advocated  the 
arranging  of  a  concordat  between  the  Pope  and  the  English 
Government  as  the  best  means  of  securing  a  modus  vivendi 
for  the  Catholic  subjects  of  the  King. 

The  number  of  the  clergy  on  the  mission  is  given  by 
Leander  at  nearly  a  thousand.  He  praised  their  '  great 
learning  in  philosophy,  ethics>  and  theology,'  and  declared 
that  '  scarcely  any  Catholic  kingdom  can  display  a  more 
splendid  priesthood.' 

The  date  of  the  envoy's  visit  was  marked  by  a  persecu 
tion  of  great  severity  against  the  Catholics,  during  which  the 
Vicar  Apostolic,  after  a  short  sojourn  at  Lord  Montague's 
residence  of  Cowdray,  in  Sussex,  was  forced  to  retire  to  Paris. 
Father  Arrowsmith  was  convicted  at  Lancaster  of  being  '  a 
popish  priest  contrary  to  the  King's  laws  '  and  executed 
August  28,  1628.  The  dissolution  of  Parliament  in  1629 
resulted  in  no  other  being  called  for  ten  years,  and  in  con 
sequence  Catholics  had  a  little  peace.  Nevertheless,  even 
during  this  period  of  comparative  quiet,  no  fewer  than  11,970 
persons  were  convicted  of  *  Romish  recusancy '  in  the 
southern  shires  alone,  from  which  it  may  be  judged  what  the 
state  of  things  must  have  been  when  the  persecution  was  at 
its  height. 


HISTOKICAL  INTKODUCTION  21 

The  mission  of  Father  Leander  not  proving  satisfactory, 
his  place  as  delegate  was  taken  by  Gregorio  Panzani,  an 
Italian  Oratorian  of  considerable  diplomatic  skill.  Panzani 
proposed  that  an  oath  of  allegiance  should  be  drawn  up  at 
Borne  to  replace  the  one  of  James  I.  condemned  by  the  Holy 
See.  He  was  informed,  however,  by  Cardinal  Barberini,  the 
papal  Secretary  of  State,  that  such  an  oath  would  be  made  in 
England  the  subject  of  a  parliamentary  discussion,  and  con 
sidering  the  notorious  hostility  of  that  body,  little  good 
could  be  expected  from  such  an  expedient. 

The  statistics  given  by  Panzani  throw  an  interesting  light 
on  the  numbers  and  condition  of  the  recusants.  According 
to  his  computation,  the  professing  adherents  of  the  old 
religion  amounted  to  about  160,000.  Most  of  the  nobility 
and  gentry  kept  chaplains  in  their  residences,  and  these 
priests  ministered  to  the  poorer  class  of  Catholics  in  the 
neighbourhood.  There  was  also  another  set  of  persons, 
who,  although  they  conformed  to  the  tenets  of  protestantism, 
were  nevertheless  Catholics  at  heart.  '  While  I  was  in 
London/  writes  Panzani,  '  almost  all  the  principal  nobility 
who  died,  although  generally  reported  protestants,  died 
Catholics ;  whence  with  great  probability  some  infer  that 
the  English  are  generally  aware  of  their  bad  state  and  there 
fore  to  secure  their  salvation  die  Catholics.'  The  fact  that 
the  priest  could  not  always  be  found  at  the  last  moment 
was  regarded  by  our  informant  as  '  the  just  judgment  of 
God.' 

During  the  period  immediately  preceding  the  Civil  War 
the  recusants  again  came  in  for  their  share  of  parliamentary 
attention.  In  1640,  upon  the  King  venturing  to  reprieve 
John  Goodman,  a  Douai  priest,  sentenced  to  death  at  the 
Old  Bailey  for  exercising  his  religious  functions,  the  Long 
Parliament  raised  a  furious  clamour  against  Charles  and 
insisted  on  the  sentence  being  carried  out.  To  relieve  the 
King  from  his  difficulty,  Father  Goodman  actually  peti- 


22  ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

tioned  to  be  hanged,  with  the  result  that  his  persecutors 
were  abashed  and  he  was  allowed  to  linger  out  his  days  in 
prison. 

The  chapels  of  the  ambassadors  had  been  privileged  by 
special  enactment,  and  until  the  mitigation  of  the  Penal 
Code  in  1778  they  were  the  only  places  where  Catholics 
could  worship  with  any  security.  The  ambassadors  were 
often  deeply  religious  men,  and  their  intercession  was  fre 
quently  used  on  behalf  of  convicted  priests.  In  1641,  the 
house  of  the  Venetian  Ambassador  was  forced  and  his 
chaplain,  Father  Cuthbert  Clapton,  arrested  on  the  ground 
that  he  was  an  English  priest.  Upon  the  intervention  of 
the  King  he  was  released.  In  1643  Father  Kichard 
Worthington,  who  resided  with  the  Spanish  Ambassador, 
was  seized  while  returning  from  administering  the  last 
Sacraments  to  Lady  Tresham.  In  this  case  the  remonstrances 
of  the  embassy  were  attended  to  and  the  priest  was  dis 
charged. 

Before  entering  upon  the  subject  of  the  Civil  War  it  may 
be  remarked  that  twenty-four  priests  underwent  the  extreme 
penalty  during  this  reign  and  divers  other  persons  suffered 
the  minor  punishments  of  fine  and  imprisonment.  In  1632 
George  Calvert,  Lord  Baltimore,  founded  the  colony  of 
Maryland  in  America  as  a  refuge  for  Catholics,  and  one  of 
the  fundamental  laws  of  the  new  state  was  full  religious 
toleration  for  all  protestants  who  might  settle  in  the  place. 
Whatever  sufferings  were  heaped  upon  the  Catholics  during 
this  period  must  be  attributed  to  the  Parliament  and  not  to 
the  King,  who  if  he  had  had  his  own  way  would  gladly 
have  seen  his  Catholic  subjects  left  in  peace.  Historians  of 
the  partisan  type  have  waxed  eloquent  over  the  '  unconsti 
tutional  conduct '  of  Charles,  but  if  the  King  chastised  a  few 
individuals  who  resisted  his  by  no  means  exorbitant  taxa 
tion,  and  ruled  so  long  without  a  parliament,  it  must  in  all 
fairness  be  conceded  that  he  was  really  in  want  of  money, 


HISTOKICAL  INTRODUCTION  23 

while,  as  subsequent  events  proved,  the  Lower  House  was 
bent  on  reducing  the  Crown  to  a  mere  figurehead  in  the 
State.1  If  the  King  erred  through  circumstances,  in  insist 
ing  on  prerogatives  that  had  grown  obsolete  and  shutting 
his  eyes  to  the  growth  of  public  opinion,  the  Parliament 
sinned  by  sheer  opportunity,  in  using  its  uncontrolled  in 
fluence  to  harass  beyond  endurance  a  large  section  of  the 
community  for  adhering  to  the  faith  that  had  been  that  of 
the  nation  for  upwards  of  a  thousand  years. 

The  open  rupture  between  Charles  and  the  Parliament  was 
the  signal  for  a  magnificent  display  of  Catholic  loyalty.  *  The 
Winchesters  and  Worcesters,  the  Dunbars,  the  Bellamonts,  the 
Carnarvons,  the  Powises,  the  Arundells,  the  Fauconbergs,  the 
Mollineuxes,  the  Cottingtons,  the  Monteagles,  the  Langdales, 
with  an  equal  proportion  of  Catholic  gentry  and  yeomanry,' 
were  seen  flocking  to  the  royal  standard.  The  prowess  of 
these  cavaliers  was  worthy  the  descendants  of  the  men  who 
drove  back  the  Saracens  at  Ascalon  and  closed  with  the 
mailed  chivalry  of  France  at  Agincourt.  Of  the  five  hundred 
noblemen  and  gentlemen  who  gave  their  lives  for  the  royal 
cause,  no  fewer  than  two  hundred  were  of  the  Catholic 
faith.  Their  names  and  glorious  deeds  are  writ  large  in 
such  memorable  achievements  as  the  relief  of  Basing  House, 
held  by  the  Marquis  of  Winchester  (1643-45),  the  defence 
of  Wardour  Castle  by  Lady  Arundell,  and  the  relief  of 
Pontefract  by  Sir  Marmaduke  Langdale.2 

1  The  Act  of  1641  made  Parliament  independent  of  the  King.     The  bill 
of   1642  proposed  depriving  the  Crown  of   the  command  of   the  militia  and 
fortresses.     With   regard   to   Charles's   attitude  towards   Catholics,    a  recent 
authority  remarks :  ' .  .  .  it  was  the  protection  which  Charles  I.,  under  the 
influence  of  the  Queen,  extended  to  Roman  Catholics,  that  cost  him  his  life, 
and  that  but  for  this  he  might  have  governed  as  he  pleased.'     The  Historical 
MSS.  Commission,  « Standard,'  Friday,  October  14,  1904. 

2  The  names   of  the   Catholic   royalists   killed  are   given   in   Challoner's 
Memoirs    of    Missionary    Priests.       See    also    Lingard's    Catholic    Loyalty 
Vindicated,  &c.     Basing  House  was  relieved  by  the  Catholic   Sir  Henry  Gage, 
Governor  of  Oxford.     See  notes  under  '  Oxford.' 


24  ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

The  support  so  freely  bestowed  upon  the  father  was 
given  with  equal  generosity  to  the  son.  Charles  II.  after  the 
rout  at  Worcester  entrusted  his  life  to  no  fewer  than  fifty 
Catholics,  including  Francis  Whitgrave,  Esq.,  of  Moseley,  and 
the  Penderel  family,  of  '  Eoyal  Oak  '  fame. 

Their  services  to  the  royal  cause  during  the  war  and  the 
Declaration  of  Breda,  which  set  forth  that  '  no  man  shall  be 
disquieted  .  .  .  for  differences  of  opinion  in  matters  of 
religion,'  naturally  inspired  the  Catholic  party  with  great 
hopes  at  the  period  of  the  Restoration .  Loyal  addresses 
were  forwarded  to  the  King  by  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  the 
missionary  clergy  and  Lord  Arundell  on  behalf  of  the  laity. 
The  only  reply  to  these  was  a  demand  that  all  recusants 
should  take  the  condemned  oath  of  James  I.  When 
Charles's  declaration  of  Indulgence  was  defeated  by  Parlia 
ment  in  1662,  the  immediate  outcome  of  the  movement  was 
a  call  for  the  enforcement  of  the  penal  law's  and  a  command 
to  all  *  Seminary  priests  to  quit  the  Kingdom.' 

The  year  1669  was  rendered  remarkable  by  the  accession 
of  the  Duke  of  York,  afterwards  James  II.,  to  the  Catholic 
faith.  One  of  the  intermediate  causes  of  the  change  was  a 
diligent  perusal  of  the  *  History  of  the  Reformation  '  by  Dr. 
Heylin,  Prebend  of  Westminster.  The  Prince,  however,  had 
given  some  thought  to  the  subject  long  before  in  Paris. 
The  King,  who  had  studied  '  the  Catholic  claims '  when  in 
hiding  at  Moseley  after  Worcester,  shortly  afterwards 
declared,  in  a  secret  council,  his  attachment  to  the  ancient 
Church  and  the  hardship  of  having  to  profess  a  religion  in 
which  he  did  not  believe.  As  the  '  secret  treaty  of  Dover  ' 
was  then  in  process  of  negotiation,  it  was  deemed  advisable 
to  take  no  steps  in  the  matter  till  that  transaction  had  been 
concluded.1 

1  James  when  at  Paris  in  1649  had  been  introduced  to  the  Prioress  of  the 
Carmelite  Nuns  by  his  mother,  Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  who  expressed  a  wish 
that  her  son  would  become  a  Catholic  and  asked  the  Rev.  Mother  to  undertake 


HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION  25 

The  conversion  of  the  Duke  was  speedily  followed  by 
that  of  the  Duchess — Anne  Hyde,  daughter  of  the  Chancellor 
and  historian,  Lord  Clarendon.  The  secession  of  these 
two  exalted  personages  caused  the  greatest  excitement. 
Complaints  were  made  of  the  growth  of  popery  as  evidenced 
by  the  recent  event,  that  High  Mass  was  said  in  many 
private  houses,  especially  in  those  of  the  nobility,  and  that 
the  chapels  of  the  ambassadors  were  little  better  than 
conventicles  for  papists.  The  disturbed  feeling  throughout 
the  country  foredoomed  to  almost  instant  failure  the 
1  Declaration  of  Indulgence,'  put  forward  by  Charles  in  1672 
with  a  view  of  secretly  assisting  the  Catholics,  whose  faith 
he  inwardly  believed.  The  third  Dutch  war,  which  inter 
vened  at  this  juncture  of  affairs,  banished  for  a  time  the 
acrimony  of  controversy  from  the  minds  of  parliament 
and  people. 

The  splendid  victory  of  the  British  fleet,  led  by  the  naval 
genius  of  the  Duke  of  York  at  Southwold  Bay,  hastened  the 
conclusion  of  peace.  The  royal  admiral,  who  invented  the 
flag- signalling  system,  which  wrought  a  revolution  in  naval 
tactics,  soon  found  his  services  repaid  by  the  Test  Act 
rendering  him  and  his  co-religionists  incapable  of  holding 
any  public  office.  The  '  Test ' — which  required,  among  other 
things,  a  formal  repudiation  of  Transubstantiation  and  the 
Papal  supremacy — was  subsequently  proposed  to  be  applied  to 
the  members  of  both  Houses,  but  the  King,  who  saw  in  it  the 
latent  intention  of  excluding  his  brother  from  the  throne, 
settled  the  matter  by  dissolving  Parliament  (June  1675). 

The  general  unrest  made  matters  ripe  for  Titus  Oates's 
fabrication  known  as  the  Popish  Plot,  which  from  1678  till 
1681  convulsed  the  nation  and  caused  the  effusion  of  no 

his  conversion.  '  Madam,'  replied  that  personage,  '  it  belongs  to  God  to  change 
hearts.  I  am  not  clever  enough  to  enter  into  controversy,  but  I  shall  beg  God 
to  influence  the  Prince's  heart.'  James,  on  his  side,  '  promised  to  pray  for 
light  to  see  the  true  faith,'  a  practice  which  he  continued  for  twenty  years 
French  Chronicles  of  the  Discalced  Carmelites. 


26  ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

little  blood.  The  story  of  the  intended  murder  of  the  King 
and  the  setting  up  of  a  popish  government  by  means  of  French 
aid  found  widespread  credit,  in  spite  of  the  manifest  dis 
crepancies  of  Gates  when  examined  before  the  King  in 
Council.  It  is  no  part  of  the  present  narrative  to  enumerate 
the  trials  and  executions  that  ensued,  or  to  dilate  on  the  long 
acknowledged  innocence  of  the  twenty-four  victims  from 
Edward  Coleman,  secretary  to  the  Duke  of  York,  to  the 
venerable  Viscount  Stafford  and  Dr.  Plunket,  Archbishop 
of  Armagh.1  The  acquittal  of  Sir  Thomas  Gascoigne,  Bart., 
from  the  charges  connected  with  the  clumsy  concoction 
known  as  the  '  Yorkshire  Plot '  was  mainly  secured  by  the 
overwhelming  evidence  of  a  long  list  of  Yorkshire  gentle 
men  who  came  forward  on  the  old  baronet's  behalf. 

Great  as  was  the  guilt  of  Gates,  Bedloe,  Tonge,  and  the 
other  professional  perjurers,  a  place  must  be  reserved  in  the 
pillory  of  history  for  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury — *  the  false 
Achitophel ' — who  lent  the  full  weight  of  his  talents  and 
influence  for  the  furtherance  of  the  imposture.  Some  have 
even  charged  him  with  the  authorship  of  the  Plot,  and 
certainly,  judging  by  his  lack  of  scruple,  he  had,  as  Clarendon 
said  of  Hampden,  *  a  head  to  contrive,  a  heart  to  conceive, 
and  a  hand  to  execute  any  villainy.'  He  died  an  attainted 
exile  in  Holland  in  1683,  leaving  behind  him  a  name  for 
uncommon  talents  and  uncommon  wickedness,  and  one  that 
in  the  early  ages  of  Christianity  would  have  undoubtedly 
found  a  place  in  the  *  De  Mortibus  Persecutorum.' 

The  moral  weakness  of  Charles  in  consenting  to  the 
deaths  of  men  whom  he  knew  to  be  entirely  innocent, 
roused  in  his  voluptuous  heart  the  keenest  pangs  of  remorse. 
The  victims  of  the  Plot  were  even  in  their  own  day  regarded 

1  At  the  trial  of  Father  Whitebread,  April  24,  1678,  before  Lord  Chief 
Justice  Scroggs,  eight  boys  of  the  English  Catholic  College  of  St.  Omer  were 
brought  over  to  prove  that  at  the  time  the  accused  was  stated  to  have  been 
engaged  in  conspiracy  in  England  he  was  actually  at  the  College.  See 
Centenary  Record  of  Stonyhurst  College,  1894. 


HISTOKICAL  INTBODUCTION  27 

as  martyrs  by  the  common  opinion  of  the  Catholic  world, 
and  the  Queen,  Catherine  of  Braganza,  who  had  a  great 
devotion  to  them,  caused  their  portraits  to  be  hung  in  her 
room.  The  King  never  entered  her  apartment  without 
kissing  their  features  and  invoking  their  intercession.  He 
would  often  on  his  knees  '  make  a  most  hearty  protestation 
of  his  fault  and  of  their  innocence,  concluding  by  saying 
that  they  were  in  a  place  where  they  knew  of  a  truth  that 
he  had  been  forced,  and  that  they  would  pray  to  God  for 
him  to  pardon  his  crime.' l 

The  immediate  civil  effect  of  the  Popish  Plot  was  the 
Act  excluding  the  Catholic  peers  from  the  House  of  Lords, 
It  met  with  some  opposition  in  the  Upper  Chamber,  as  by 
its  nature  it  seemed  to  many  of  the  peers  '  to  strike  at  the 
very  principle  of  their  order.'  The  measure,  however, 
became  law,  and  remained  in  force  for  over  a  hundred  and 
fifty  years. 

Thus,  without  a  shadow  of  guilt  on  their  part,  and  to 
satisfy  an  implacable  faction,  were  the  Catholic  nobility 
deprived  of  their  last  remaining  privilege  and  their  de 
scendants  condemned  to  generations  of  social  oblivion.  The 
peers  affected  by  the  law  were  :  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  and 
the  Earls  of  Shrewsbury,  Berkshire,  Portland,  Cardigan, 
and  Powis ;  the  Viscounts  Montague  and  Stafford ;  the 
Barons  Mowbray,  Audley,  Stourton,  Petre,  Arundell,  Huns- 
den,  Bellasyse  (Fauconberg),  Langdale,  Teynham,  Carring- 
ton,  Widdrington,  Gerard  of  Bromley,  Clifford,  and  Ewre  of 
Whitton. 

From  the  day  that  Shaftesbury  '  presented  '  the  Duke  of 
York  to  the  grand  jury  of  Middlesex  as  '  a  Popish  recusant,' 
the  Whigs  had  been  untiring  in  their  efforts  to  exclude  that 

1  Stonyhurst  MSS.,  vol.  ii.  p.  101.  Excerpta  P.  Glover.  Among  the  things 
taken  from  the  victims  of  the  '  Plot '  was  a  piece  of  the  true  Cross  which  the 
Queen  gave  the  King,  who  wore  it  with  great  reverence  to  the  day  of  his  death. 
Ibidem. 


28  ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

Prince  from  the  throne.  The  bill  introduced  into  Parlia 
ment  to  effect  this  was  viewed  with  abhorrence  by  three- 
fourths  of  the  nobility  and  landed  gentry  as  violating  the 
established  custom  of  royal  right.  Its  ultimate  defeat  both 
in  London  and  at  the  session  held  amidst  the  classic  retreats 
of  Oxford  in  1681  was  mainly  due  to  the  firmness  of  the 
King,  whom  fraternal  affection  had  for  once  aroused  from 
his  accustomed  round  of  vicious  pleasures.  During  the 
debates  in  the  Commons  various  alternatives  were  offered 
by  the  Tories  to  the  Opposition  to  turn  them  from  their 
purpose.  Among  these  may  be  enumerated  one  for  '  banish 
ing  all  considerable  papists  '  from  the  realm  and  preventing 
the  *  fraudulent  conveyance  of  their  estates.'  The  triumph 
of  the  Court,  however,  rendered  these  subterfuges  unneces 
sary.1 

The  death-bed  repentance  and  conversion  of  Charles  II. 
has  ever  been  regarded  by  Catholics  as  one  of  those  *  miracles 
of  grace '  which  God  sometimes  vouchsafes  to  the  most 
inveterate  sinners.  His  reign  is  remarkable  as  being  the 
last  in  which  blood  was  shed  for  the  faith,  and,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  the  brief  reign  of  his  brother,  the  old  religion 
passed  into  the  darkness  of  social  oblivion  from  which  it  did 
not  emerge  for  over  a  hundred  years. 

There  is  little  else  to  remark  upon  with  regard  to  this 
reign  except  that  during  it  flourished  the  Rev.  John  Gother, 
whose  learned  and  temperate  expositions  of  the  Catholic  faith 
in  the  '  Papist  Misrepresented  and  Represented/  and  similar 
works,  had  a  wide  circulation  and  led  to  innumerable  con 
versions.  Among  these  was  that  of  the  poet  John  Dryden, 
much  of  whose  theological  argument  in  the  '  Hind  and  the 
Panther  '  may  be  traced  to  the  famous  apologia  of  the  pious 
Lisbonian  priest.  Father  Philip  Thomas  Howard,  a 

1  To  save  their  lands  from  going  to  the  next  protestant  heir,  as  the  law 
directed,  Catholics  often  made  over  their  real  property  to  some  protestant 
friend  in  trust.  This  state  of  things  lasted  till  1778. 


HISTORICAL   INTRODUCTION  29 

Dominican  monk,  and  cousin  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  was 
appointed  '  Lord  Almoner '  to  Queen  Catherine  of  Braganza 
in  1665,  and  ten  years  later  was  created  a  cardinal.  He 
re-established  the  Dominican  province  in  England  and 
opened  a  college  for  the  noviciate  at  Bornhem  in  Flanders. 
He  died  in  Kome  in  1694,  leaving  behind  him  a  reputation 
for  piety  and  discretion  which  was  acknowledged  even  by 
those  most  opposed  to  the  principles  he  professed. 

The  reign  of  James  II.  is  a  woeful  example  of  an 
obstinate  personality  throwing  prudence  to  the  winds  and 
turning  a  deaf  ear  to  the  most  well-timed  advice.  The 
King,  though  he  did  not  stretch  his  prerogative  farther  than 
the  sovereigns  who  went  before  him,  yet  relied  too  much  on 
his  supremacy  and  '  the  loud  professions  of  passive  obedience 
which  were  rife  among  the  English  Protestant  clergy.' 
Like  his  father,  he  forgot  that  times  had  changed  and 
what  was  legally  permissible  might  in  practice  lead  to  the 
direst  results.  Moreover,  his  causing  High  Mass  to  be 
publicly  celebrated—  sending  an  ambassador  to  Rome — call 
ing  Catholics  to  the  Privy  Council,  and  appointing  Catholic 
officers  in  spite  of  the  Test  Act,  were  all  steps  in  the  wrong 
direction,  considering  the  blind  hatred  of  the  old  religion 
then  existing  throughout  the  country.  The  forcing  of 
Catholics  on  the  colleges  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge  was 
equally  misguided,  and  only  served  to  set  those  institutions 
against  the  throne. 

Since  the  death  of  Bishop  Smith  of  Chalcedon  at  Paris 
in  1655,  the  Catholics  of  England  had  been  without 
episcopal  government.  At  the  request  of  James,  Pope 
Innocent  XI. — than  whom  no  one  living  more  strenuously 
condemned  the  royal  policy — sent  Dr.  John  Ley  burn,  Pre 
sident  of  Douai  College,  to  England  with  the  title  of 
Vicar  Apostolic  and  Bishop  of  Adrumetum.  The  bishop 
'  boldly  told  the  King  that  the  fellowrs  and  students  of 
Magdalen  College  were  grievously  wronged,  and  that  resti- 


30  ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

tution  ought  to  be  made  to  them  on  religious  as  well  as 
political  grounds.'  Count  Ferdinand  d'Adda,  Archbishop  of 
Amasia,  the  Papal  Nuncio,  brought  similar  advice  from 
Innocent,  which  was  to  let  existing  religious  and  civil 
institutions  alone,  to  respect  the  laws,  and  seek  to  obtain  for 
Catholics  a  gradual  toleration  by  the  exercise  of  prudence 
and  forbearance. 

In  1687  Bishop  Leyburn  visited  Wigan,  Preston, 
Durham,  Newcastle,  and  other  places  in  the  north,  where 
he  gave  Confirmation  to  upwards  of  20,000  persons.  In 
London  and  some  of  the  provincial  towns,  schools  were 
opened  by  the  Jesuits  and  Franciscans.  As  the  instruction 
was  of  a  high-class  nature,  free  and  open  to  all  without 
reference  to  creed,  the  schools  attracted  crowds  of  pupils. 
The  direction  of  the  Chapel  Royal,  St.  James's,  was  given  to 
Benedictines  and  that  of  the  Queen's  chapel  at  Somerset 
House  to  the  order  of  St.  Francis.  On  January  11,  1688, 
Innocent  XI.,  at  the  request  of  James,  divided  the  country 
into  four  vicariates,  each  governed  by  a  titular  bishop.  Dr. 
Leyburn  was  named  first  Vicar  Apostolic  of  the  London 
district,  and  the  other  prelates,  Bishop  Giffard  of  the  Mid 
land  district,  Bishop  Smith  of  the  northern,  and  Bishop 
Philip  Ellis,  O.S.B.,  of  the  western,  were  consecrated  by 
the  Papal  Nuncio  in  April  and  May  of  the  same  year.  The 
vicariates — increased  to  eight  in  1840 — lasted  down  to  1850, 
and  were  a  benefit  to  the  Church  in  this  country,  the 
importance  of  which  can  scarcely  be  estimated. 

When  the  Revolution  of  1688  saw  the  end  of  Stuart  rule 
in  England,  the  Catholics  entered  upon  their  last  and  most 
trying  epoch,  which  has  not  unfitly  been  termed  the  '  era  of 
bloodless  martyrdom.'  The  King  had  fled,  and  upon  the 
unoffending  body  of  his  co-religionists  at  home  now  descended 
the  full  force  of  Whig  retribution.  They  were  with  the 
Unitarians  excepted  from  the  Toleration  Act,  and  two  of 
the  Bishops — Lejburn  and  Giffard — were  sent  to  the 


HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION  31 

Tower.  Of  course,  the  chapels  and  schools  opened  during 
the  late  reign  were  almost  immediately  destroyed,  and  in 
not  a  few  instances  the  private  residences  of  Catholic  gentle 
men — as  Courtfield,  the  ancestral  home  of  the  Vaughans,  and 
Hathersage  Hall,  that  of  the  Eyres — were  raided  by  Orange 
mobs.  A  few  Catholics  had  recently  been  admitted  to  the 
professions  of  law  and  medicine,  but  their  practice  was  again 
forbidden  by  the  Act  of  1690. L  At  the  General  Sessions 
held  at  Thirsk  in  Yorkshire  in  October  of  this  year,  1,755 
persons  were  '  prosecuted  for  Romish  recusancy.'  But 
nothing  told  so  severely  against  the  Catholics  as  the  Act  of 
1700,  '  for  further  preventing  the  growth  of  Popery.'  This 
statute  placed  the  estates  of  Papists  at  the  disposal  of  the 
next  protestant  heir  and  offered  every  common  informer  a 
reward  of  £100  for  apprehending  priests,  who  on  conviction 
were  to  be  imprisoned  for  life.  This  Act  supplemented  the 
celebrated  statutes  13  and  27  of  Elizabeth,  adjudging  the 
penalty  of  death  against  priests  saying  Mass  or  otherwise 
exercising  their  religious  functions,  and  really  brought  those 
for  whom  it  was  intended  more  surely  under  the  law.  A 
protestant  jury  might  hesitate  before  sending  the  accused  to 
death  merely  for  saying  Mass,  but  would  have  less  scruple 
where  only  imprisonment  was  concerned.  No  sooner  was 
the  measure  passed  than  a  crop  of  informers  sprang  up  eager 
to  earn  the  promised  reward.  These  were,  for  the  most 
part,  apostate  priests  and  persons  of  notoriously  bad  character, 
such  as  Richard  Hitchmough  and  one  Mottram  who  had 
been  expelled  from  Cambridge  for  his  evil  living.  The 
trouble  these  wretched  men  caused  was  incalculable.  In 
1706  Bishop  Giffard  was  compelled  on  their  account  to 
change  his  lodgings  fourteen  times  to  elude  pursuit,  ani  had 

1  In  October  1692,  Dr.  Betts,  sometime  physician  to  Charles  II.  and 
James  II.,  was  expelled  the  College' of  Physicians  in  pursuance  of  this  Act,  and 
Mr.  Serjeant  Piggott  had  to  quit  a  lucrative  practice  at  the  Bar  for  the  same 


32  ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

been  in  durance  so  frequently  that  he  compared  his  lot  to 
that  of  St.  Paul — in  carceribus  abundant ius,  'in  prisons 
more  frequently.' 

King  William's  cabinet  of  papers  contained  a  document 
which  set  down  the  Catholic  population  of  English  at  13,856 
— a  figure  certainly  incorrect.  In  1717  the  number  was 
reckoned  at  70,000,  and  the  clergy  on  the  mission  at  about 
500.  When  Bishop  Smith  confirmed  at  Lower  Hall, 
Samlesbury,  Lancashire,  in  July  1709,  Catholics  are  reported 
to  have  come  to  his  lordship  '  in  crowds.'  At  Ribblesdale 
the  population  remained  Catholic  throughout  the  penal 
times  owing  to  the  influence  of  the  local  gentry.1  In  the 
West  Riding  of  Yorkshire  the  return  of  papists  comprised 
229  knights  and  esquires,  commencing  with  Sir  Charles 
Ingleby,  Serjeant-at-law,  temp.  James  II. 

The  attachment  of  many  English  Catholics  to  the  cause 
of  the  exiled  Stuarts  was  perfectly  natural,  considering  the 
efforts — injudicious  though  they  were — of  James  II.  on  their 
behalf,  and  the  ever-increasing  hardships  which  successive 
governments  after  the  Eevolution  heaped  upon  them. 
Moreover,  there  was  the  principle  of  divine  right  underlying 
the  whole  current  of  English  politics,  and  the  Jacobite  party 
embraced  men  of  every  creed.  The  failure  of  the  rising  of 
1715  brought  the  Catholic  Lord  Derwentwater  and  about 
eight  gentlemen  of  note  to  the  scaffold,  the  estates  of  all 
Catholics  in  any  way  concerned  were  confiscated,  and  by  the 
Act  of  1722  all  papist  landowners  were  subjected  to  a  double 
land  tax.  Lord  Stanhope's  project  for  obtaining  for  the 
recusants  some  amelioration  of  their  hard  lot  was  frustrated 
by  his  death,  though,  as  his  descendant,  Lord  Mahon, 
observes  :  '  I  do  not  think  that  he  or  any  other  man  at  that 
period  would  have  been  able  to  effect  it.' 2 

1  Abram,   History   of  Blackburn.      In    1717    the   Ribblesdale   population 
contained  '  1,023  avowed  Papists  out  of  a  total  of  1,800  families.'     Ibid. 

2  History  of  England,  vol.  i.  chap.  ix. 


HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION  83 

During  the  rising  of  1745,  but  one  Catholic  of  note  joined 
Prince  Charles  Edward  in  Lancashire,  while  in  London 
Bishop  Challoner,  coadjutor  to  Bishop  Petre,  the  Vicar 
Apostolic,  exerted  himself  to  prevent  some  persons  well 
affected  to  the  Chevalier  from  espousing  his  cause.  No  new 
enactment  was  made  against  the  recusants  during  this  reign, 
though  by  Lord  Hardwicke's  Marriage  Act  of  1752 — to  check 
the  scandalous  '  Fleet  marriages ' — Catholics  entering  into 
wedlock  were  compelled  to  be  united  in  the  protestant 
church.  By  the  2  Geo.  III.  cap.  20,  all  persons  joining  the 
Militia  had  to  take  an  oath  containing  the  words  :  *  I  do 
swear  that  I  am  a  protestant.' 

Throughout  this  period,  the  chapels  of  the  nobility  and 
gentry  continued  to  be  almost  the  only  places  of  worship  for 
Catholics  outside  those  of  the  ambassadors.  A  chapel  known 
as  '  the  Penny  Hotel  'was  opened  at  Moorfields,  London,  in 
1733,  and  in  a  few  of  the  larger  provincial  towns  there  was 
a  '  Mass  house  '  hidden  away  behind  some  mean  alley  where 
a  few  persons  assembled  by  stealth  on  Sundays.  Even  as  late 
as  1733,  Bishop  Williams,  Vicar  Apostolic  of  the  northern 
district,  had  '  to  fly  to  remote  places  to  escape  prison,'  and  in 
1747,  the  year  after  the  last  Jacobite  rebellion,  Bishop  York, 
coadjutor  of  the  western  district,  wrote  to  Propaganda,  '  We 
are  compelled  to  fly  from  house  to  house,  and  from  city  to 
city.'  In  London  Bishop  Challoner  preached  on  Sunday 
evenings  at  a  public-house  off  Holborn  called  '  The  Ship,' 
the  congregation  having  pipes  and  pewter  pots  by  them  to 
avoid  suspicion.  Dr.  Challoner 's  services  to  the  cause  of 
Catholicism  in  England  cannot  be  too  highly  estimated. 
His  numerous  learned  writings  wTere  the  comfort  and 
instruction  of  his  co-religionists  in  their  afflictions,  while 
their  depth,  piety,  and  charity  made  them  eminently  suited 
for  diffusing  a  sound  knowledge  of  Catholic  belief  and 
practice  among  protestants,  whose  prejudices  they  did  so 
much  to  dispel. 

D 


34  ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

In  spite  of  the  contempt  and  obscurity  to  which  they 
had  been  consigned  by  generations  of  oppression,  the  little 
remnant  of  Catholics  could  boast  some  members  that  would 
have  done  honour  to  any  party.  Alexander  Pope,  the  poet, 
has  written  his  name  large  on  the  triumphal  tablets  of 
fame,  and  the  witty  epigrammatist,  in  spite  of  his  world- 
liness,  lived  and  died  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
Contemporary  with  him  flourished  Dr.  Hawarden  of  Douai, 
who  received  the  public  thanks  of  the  University  of  Oxford 
for  his  brilliant  defence  of  the  Trinity  against  Dr.  Samuel 
Clarke.  The  discussion,  it  may  be  observed,  was  carried  on  in 
the  presence  of  the  controversy-loving  consort  of  George  II., 
Queen  Caroline  of  Anspach.  Bishop  Walmesley,  of  the 
Western  district,  and  Fellow  of  the  Koyal  Society,  was 
consulted  by  the  government  of  the  day  with  reference  to 
the  reform  of  the  calendar  in  1752,  while  his  several 
mathematical  and  scientific  treatises  had  a  European  vogue.1 
The  Catholic  Dr.  Arne  has  obtained  lasting  celebrity  as  the 
composer  of  the  patriotic  c  Rule  Britannia  '  and  scores  of 
beautiful  melodies.  In  the  department  of  the  law,  James 
Booth,  John  Maire,  and  Matthew  Duane  rose  to  the  highest 
eminence  as  conveyancers ;  after  the  Bar  was  thrown  open 
to  Catholics  in  1791,  their  pupils  and  successors,  Francis 
Plowden,  D.C.L.,  and  Charles  Butler,  acquired  a  solid 
reputation  in  the  courts  as  cogent  pleaders.  The  latter,  who 
was  a  prolific  writer  on  a  variety  of  subjects,  is  best  known 
for  his  '  Historical  Memoirs  of  English,  Irish,  and  Scottish 
Catholics/  and,  as  a  barrister,  for  an  able  essay  on  Fearne's 
1  Contingent  Remainders  '  which  did  much  to  elucidate  that 
abstruse  work. 

Still,  as  long  as  they  were  excluded  from  all  professions 

1  De  Inequalitatibus  Motuum  Lunariorum ;  Analyse  des  Mesures  des 
Rapports  et  des  Angles;  Thtorie  du  Maniement  des  Apsides,  <fec.  &c.  He  is 
said  to  have  relinquished  his  mathematical  studies  on  account  of  a  distraction 
these  once  caused  him  while  saying  Mass. 


HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION  35 

and  shut  out  from  the  public  life  of  the  nation,  there  was 
little  chance  of  the  recusants  being  able  to  do  anything  to 
better  their  miserable  condition.  In  1772  Pope  Clement 
XIV.  who  had  just  entertained  Prince  William  of  Gloucester, 
brother  of  George  III.,  at  Rome,  sent  Monsignor  Caprara, 
afterwards  Cardinal,  to  England  to  make  inquiries.  His 
report  is  dismal  reading.  The  Catholics  were  broken  and 
dejected ;  neither  were  they  entirely  free  from  the  prevail 
ing  spirit  of  '  philosophic  scepticism.'  Not  a  few  of  the 
leading  personages  among  them  had  either  conformed  or 
were  about  to  conform  to  protestantism  '  to  enter  parliament 
and  obtain  places  under  government.'  A  parliamentary 
report  of  three  years  before  had  given  the  number  of 
Catholics  in  England  at  about  69,000,  and  there  is  reason  to 
fear  that  this  number  tended  to  decrease.  In  1773  Bishop 
Challoner  reported  that  there  were  only  700  Catholics  and 
seven  priests  in  Sussex.  Twenty  years  later  the  numbers  had 
fallen  to  550  laymen  and  five  priests.  Between  1765  and  1771 
the  notorious  informer  Paine  caused  the  prosecution  of 
numbers  of  priests,  the  last  of  whom  was  the  Hon.  and  Kt. 
Eev.  Bishop  Talbot,  who  was  indicted  at  the  Old  Bailey  in 
February  1771.  All  of  these  except  one  were  acquitted, 
through  the  judges  insisting  on  the  informer  proving  that  the 
accused  were  priests  and  that  they  had  actually  said  Mass. 
The  exception  was  the  Kev.  John  Baptist  Moloney,  who  was 
sentenced  to  perpetual  imprisonment,  but  subsequently 
banished. 

The  list  of  '  Conforming  '  nobility  and  gentry  during  the 
eighteenth  century  is  a  long  one,  and  in  each  case  it  meant 
not  only  a  family  of  influence  lost  to  the  faith,  but  also  the 
closing  of  a  chapel,  the  dismissal  of  the  priest,  and  the  final 
extinction  of  the  Catholic  religion  in  an  entire  district. 
Things,  however,  reached  their  climax  in  1778.  The 
American  war  was  then  at  its  height,  and  the  Government 
was  anxious  to  conciliate  all  classes  at  home.  A  loyal 

D2 


36  ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

petition  of  a  fulsome  nature,  signed  by  ten  Catholic  peers 
and  163  landed  gentlemen,  was  presented  to  the  King,  was 
well  received,  and  Parliament  followed  suit  by  a  small 
measure  of  relief — the  famous  bill  of  1778.  In  return  for 
repudiating  the  Pope's  '  deposing  power  ' — the  mythical 
nature  of  which  we  have  already  referred  to — and  abjuring 
the  Pretender — *  taking  upon  himself  the  style  and  title  of 
Charles  III.' — Catholics  were  allowed  to  acquire  landed 
property  by  purchase  ;  heirs  educated  abroad  were  to  be 
exempt  from  forfeiture,  and  the  penalty  for  saying  Mass  was 
reduced  to  six  months'  imprisonment.  All  rewards  for  in 
forming  were  taken  away,  and  from  that  day  prosecution  of 
'  Seminary  priests  and  Jesuits  '  ceased  in  England. 

The  fanatical  outburst  known  as  the  Gordon  Riots,  which 
greeted  this  slight  concession,  is  familiar  to  all.  It  raged 
for  a  week  (June  2-8,  1780),  burning  and  destroying  Mass 
houses,  ambassadors'  mansions,  and  peers'  residences  with 
perfect  impartiality.  Then  20,000  soldiers  were  let  loose  on 
the  mob.  Charges  with  the  bayonet  and  raking  volleys  of 
musketry  quickly  asserted  the  supremacy  of  law  and  order, 
and,  for  the  first  time  in  their  history,  the  recusants  found 
themselves  the  object  of  pity  and  commiseration.  They  had 
duly  taken  the  prescribed  oath  and  were  entitled  to  protec 
tion.  The  damage  done  to  their  property  was  made  good 
out  of  the  rates.  Sympathy  for  the  long-suffering  Catholics 
had  indeed  been  steadily  gathering  force  from  about  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Burke  advocated  their 
cause  in  Parliament,  and  when  the  French  Revolution  was 
at  its  height,  reminded  his  countrymen  that  it  was  '  a  most 
absurd  and  contemptible  idea  '  to  suppose  that  if  Catholicism 
were  destroyed,  Protestantism  could  survive  the  calamity. 
Dr.  Johnson  on  more  than  one  occasion  expressed  his  appre 
ciation  of  some  of  the  more  distinctive  doctrines  of  the 
Church,  such  as  the  Real  Presence  and  Purgatory.1  The 

1  Boswell's  Life  of  Johnson,  chap.  17. 


HISTORICAL   INTRODUCTION  37 

Bev.  George  Crabbe,  one  of  the  most  pathetic  of  poets,  sang 
the  fallen  condition  and  sorrowful  lot  of 

The  Church  of  Rome,  who  here  is  poor  and  old. 

Monsignor  Caprara  during  his  visit  in  1772  had  observed  the 
general  good  feeling  on  the  part  of  the  Court  and  '  governing 
classes '  towards  Catholics,  and  this  feeling  fostered  by  the 
events  already  narrated  led  up  to  the  second  Belief  Act  of 
1791.  It  is  true  that  during  the  interval  between  1780  and 
the  last  named  year,  Catholics  had  their  own  domestic 
troubles  to  occupy  them,  troubles  arising  from  the  officious 
interference  of  the  '  Catholic  Committee  '  and  its  schismatical 
tendencies.1  But  in  spite  of  these  obstacles  the  cause  of 
emancipation  made  steady  progress.  The  Act  of  1791, 
piloted  through  Parliament  by  Mr.  Mitford,  legalised  Catholic 
worship,  chapels,  and  schools,  and  threw  open  the  professions 
of  law  and  medicine  to  adherents  of  the  old  religion.  Bishop 
Douglass,  Vicar  Apostolic  of  the  London  district,  voiced  the 
gratitude  of  his  co-religionists  when  he  eulogised  in  his 
Pastoral  (June  14,  1791)  '  the  humane  and  generous 
legislature  '  for  redressing  '  the  grievances  of  which  we  com 
plained.' 

The  French  Bevolution,  as  is  well  known,  contributed 
in  large  measure  to  the  restoration  of  the  Catholic  Church 
in  England.  The  exiled  French  clergy,  who  were  so 
generously  assisted  by  all  classes  of  society  in  this  country, 
were  to  bo  found  in  almost  every  district  either  as 
missioners  to  scattered  congregations  or  tutors  in  schools 
and  families.  Their  general  edifying  conduct  and  learned 
explanations  of  Catholic  doctrines  and  practices  did  much  to 

1  The  '  Catholic  Committee  '  was  a  mixed  board  of  clergy  and  laity  formed 
in  1783  to  bring  about  the  repeal  of  the  penal  laws  and  the  establishment  of 
a  regular  hierarchy.  The  mere  extreme  members  claimed  the  right  of 
appointing  the  Vicars  Apostolic  and  of  treating  exclusively  with  the  Govern 
ment  on  Catholic  questions.  Bishop  Milner  was  a  vigorous  opponent  of  the 
committee,  which  after  the  Relief  Act  of  1791  became  the  '  Cisalpine  Club,'  but 
the  old  spirit  of  opposition  happily  soon  died  out. 


38  ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

dispel  the  deep  and  inveterate  prejudices  against  Papists. 
Many  of  our  most  flourishing  missions  at  the  present  day 
owe  their  origin  to  the  zeal  and  energy  of  the  emigre  clergy 
who  were  so  long  a  familiar  feature  in  English  social  life. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  several  British  colleges 
abroad  returned,  stripped  of  all  material  possessions,  to 
recommence  their  careers  in  their  own  land,  after  a  pro 
scription  of  over  two  centuries.  Stonyhurst  College  in 
Lancashire  dates  its  foundation  from  1794,  Oscott  from  1795, 
and  Ampleforth  from  1802.  The  College  of  Douai — sup 
pressed  by  the  Republicans  in  1792 — wasrefounded  at  home 
at  Crookhall,  near  Durham,  in  1794,  and  removed  to  the 
present  Ushaw  in  1808.  Many  of  the  Douai  students,  how 
ever,  recommenced  their  studies  at  the  '  Old  Hall  Green 
Academy,'  in  Hertfordshire,  founded  by  Bishop  Talbot, 
coadjutor  to  Bishop  Challoner,  in  1769,  which  in  1795  was 
enlarged  and  renamed  St.  Edmund's  College. 

Thus  free  from  the  drag  and  restriction  of  penal  laws, 
and  with  the  necessary  '  higher  education  '  provided  for, 
Catholics  were  enabled  to  face  the  future  full  of  courage  and 
full  of  hope.  The  years  that  passed  before  the  crowning 
triumph  of  Catholic  Emancipation  in  1829 — won  by  the  in 
domitable  perseverance  of  Daniel  O'Connell  and  the  political 
organisation  controlled  by  his  genius — were  years  of  quiet 
progress  for  the  Church  in  England.  The  Government  that 
had  so  long  penalised  the  profession  and  practice  of  the  old 
religion  now  veered  round  and  actually  demanded  a  voice  in 
the  appointment  of  its  bishops  !  This  led  to  the  long  and 
bitter  Veto  controversy  which  reached  its  height  about  1814. 
The  proposal  was  only  finally  defeated  by  the  combined 
action  of  Bishop  Milner  in  England  and  the  hierarchy  in 
Ireland,  who  foresaw  the  dangers  to  British  Catholicism  that 
would  arise  from  this  species  of  State  control.1 

1  The  enslaved  state  of  the  Church  in  France  since  the  Concordat  between 
Pius  VII.  and  Napoleon  in  1801  is  an  eloquent  proof  of  the  wisdom  that 
directed  the  opposition  to  the  government  veto  in  England, 


HISTORICAL   INTRODUCTION  39 

The  shrunk  and  attenuated  number  of  English  Catholics 
towards  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century  has  already  been 
referred  to,  but,  from  the  dawn  of  better  times,  statistics 
show  a  marvellous  improvement.  The  chapels,  which  in 
1780  were  reckoned  at  200,  rose  to  346  in  1824,  to  417  in 
1834,  and  506  in  1844.  In  1853  there  were  eleven  colleges 
in  England,  eighty-eight  religious  houses,  and  616  churches 
and  chapels.  In  1903  the  churches,  chapels,  and  stations 
amounted  to  1,563.  The  clergy,  secular  and  regular,  have 
of  course  kept  pace  with  the  general  expansion.  The  350 
priests,  secular  and  regular,  of  1773  rose  to  more  than 
double  that  number  in  1803,  owing  largely,  of  course,  to  the 
presence  of  many  of  the  exiled  clergy  of  France.  In  1903  the 
roll  of  the  clergy  included  3,073  names.  By  1800  the  69,376 
Catholics  of  1780  had  risen  to  100,000,  and  in  1850— the 
year  of  the  restoration  of  the  hierarchy  by  Pius  IX. — the 
Catholic  population  was  computed  to  be  about  a  million. 
This  large  increase  was  due  to  three  great  causes  :  first,  the 
decay  of  prejudice  and  spread  of  a  true  knowledge  of  the 
Catholic  religion  among  Englishmen,  arising  partly  from  the 
writings  of  such  popular  exponents  as  Bishop  Milner  ('  End 
of  Controversy/  1817),  William  Cobbett,  M.P.  ('History  of 
the  Reformation,'  1824),  and  the  sympathetic  appreciation  of 
the  Ancient  Church  as  the  historic  Church  of  Christianity, 
aroused  among  intellectual  persons  by  the  Oxford  or 
Tractarian  Movement  (1833-50).  This  phase  of  thought 
was  indirectly  prepared  in  England  by  Sir  Walter  Scott's 
novels,  which  banished  the  supremacy  of  classicalism  from 
literature  and  turned  public  attention  to  the  aims,  ambitions, 
political  and  social  institutions  of  the  Middle  Ages.  The 
number  of  adherents  which  the  Tractarian  Movement 
brought  the  Church  amounted  to  thousands  of  every  rank 
and  condition  of  life.  Nearer  our  own  time,  the  general 
tendency  of  protestant  bodies  to  forsake  the  fundamental 
truths  of  Christianity,  such  as  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity, 


40  ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

divinity  of  Christ,  etc.  etc.,  no  less  than  the  almost 
endless  questions  turning  on  the  inspiration,  interpreta 
tion,  and  authority  of  the  Bible,  have  all  served,  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  to  swell  the  number  of  '  Rome's 
Recruits.' 

Catholics  of  course  freely  acknowledge  that,  side  by  side 
with  the  spiritual  and  material  progress  which  has  marked 
the  history  of  the  Church  in  this  country  during  the  past 
century,  there  has  been  much  falling  off  from  among  their 
numbers,  or  *  leakage,'  as  it  is  sometimes  called.  This  has 
been  due  to  a  variety  of  causes — the  natural  waywardness  of 
human  nature — the  inherent  inclination  to  follow  '  sweet 
will '  and  neglect  obvious  but  irksome  duties — the  struggle 
for  existence  amidst  evil  surroundings  and  pauperising 
influences — the  scarcity  of  Catholic  missions  and  schools 
and  the  consequent  ignorance  of  religion  that  results  there 
from.  These  remarks  refer  to  the  'rank  and  file,'  but  with 
regard  to  those  who  have  joined  the  Church  and  then  gone 
back  the  causes  of  defection  are  far  less  numerous.  Leav 
ing  out  the  very  general  one,  amour  prop-re  and  spiritual 
pride,  as  equally  subversive  of  all  exterior  authority,  whether 
religious  or  otherwise,  it  must  be  conceded  that  the  bulk  of 
these  persons  never  were  real  Catholics  at  all.  Pure  reason 
led  them  through  the  gates  of  the  Church  and  pure  reason 
led  them  out  again,  because  they  had  not  disposed  their  hearts 
for  the  light  of  faith  by  prayer.  Faith  and  reason  are  not, 
as  some  suppose,  antagonistic,  far  from  it,  but  the  latter 
often  exists  without  the  other.  '  Faith  to  the  supernatural 
order,  intellectual  conviction  to  the  natural.  The  one  is 
from  God,  the  other  from  man.  Faith  is  not  brought  into 
the  soul  by  intellectual  activity  and  dialectical  skill.  Non 
in  dialectics  complacuit  Deo  salvum  facer e  populum  suum 
(St.  Ambrose).  Faith  canre^h.  by  hearing;  the  Catholic 
Church  is  the  oracle  o/f£&etH£$W  world.  The  deposit  of 


HISTORICAL  INTRODUCTION  41 

faith  is  with  her.  This  must  be  recognised  and  the  rest 
follows — submission  to  the  Divine  teacher.' l 

The  second  cause  of  the  prevalence  of  Catholicity  in 
England  is  the  great  influx  of  Irish.  During  the  Peninsular 
War  and  Waterloo  periods  Ireland  proved  a  superb  recruit 
ing  ground  for  the  British  Army,  and  it  has  been  estimated 
that  no  fewer  than  100,000  Irish  soldiers  fell  in  Spain 
alone.  When  the  great  peace  of  1815-54  commenced,  and 
railway  construction  was  undertaken,  the  same  stalwart 
arms  that  had  driven  the  bayonets  through  the  legions  of 
Napoleon  were  again  in  demand  to  shape  and  fashion  the 
iron  road.  The  great  famine  of  1845-7  added  its  tens  of 
thousands  to  the  already  considerable  Irish  population  in 
England,  and,  whatever  may  be  said  to  the  contrary,  the 
presence  of  the  more  boisterous  Celt  had  a  very  salutary 
effect  in  correcting  the  air  and  habit  of  timid  reserve  so 
long  noticeable  in  the  bulk  of  native  English  Catholics. 

The  third  and  no  less  important  reason  for  the  present 
satisfactory  state  of  English  Catholicism  lies  in  the  restora 
tion  of  the  hierarchy  in  1850,  and  the  splendid  freedom  en 
joyed  by  the  Church  in  her  once  'own  fair  land.'  The 
system  of  Vicars  Apostolic,  as  we  have  seen,  did  much  to 
consolidate  the  spiritual  government  of  the  persecuted 
recusants,  but  it  was  at  best  a  makeshift  of  penal  days 
which  was  bound  in  happier  times  to  give  place  to  '  that 
which  is  more  perfect.'  The  question  of  bishops  in  ordinary 
with  titles  derived  from  English  sees  had  been  warmly 
taken  up  by  the  Catholic  Committee  of  1782,  and  the  idea 
was  subsequently  adopted  and  advocated  by  William  Pitt's 
Government  when  the  Veto  question  was  on  the  tapis.  At 
Borne  the  Curia  was  long  divided  as  to  the  expediency  of 
the  movement,  but  when  Gregoiy  XVI.  increased  the  four 
Vicars  Apostolic  to  eight  in  1840,  it  was  felt  that  the 

1  The   Study    of    Butler's    'Analogy,'    by    Fr.    Reginald    Buckler,    O.P. 
(Pastoralia,  January  1905). 


42  ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 

problem  was  on  the  verge  of  solution.  The  revolution  of 
1848  and  flight  of  Pius  IX.  to  Gaeta  delayed  the  settlement, 
but  the  suspense  ended  in  September  1850  when  the  Pope 
issued  the  famous  Letters  Apostolic,  Universalis  Ecclesiae, 
restoring  the  Catholic  hierarchy  in  England.  The  storm  of 
fury  throughout  the  country  at  this  '  act  of  insolent  aggres 
sion  '  was  met  by  Cardinal  Wiseman,  Archbishop  of  West 
minster,  with  courage  and  dignity,  and  his  '  Appeal  to  the 
reason  and  good  feeling  of  the  English  people '  had  a  power 
ful  effect  in  allaying  the  popular  excitement.  The  Cardinal 
pointed  out  that  no  territorial  aggrandisement  was  sought 
by  himself  or  the  Catholic  bishops,  and  that  the  recent  act 
of  the  Holy  See  was  only  to  secure  for  his  countrymen  in 
the  faith  a  more  convenient  and  perfect  government  in 
spiritual  matters  than  could  be  afforded  by  the  Vicar 
Apostolic  system,  which  was  but  an  expedient  of  the  penal 
times. 

During  the  archiepiscopal  rule  of  Cardinal  Wiseman 
the  Church  in  this  country  may  be  said  to  have  entirely 
shaken  the  dust  of  the  dreary  past  off  her  feet  and  to  have 
entered  upon  a  new  phase  of  life.  He  found  the  laity  old 
fashioned,  timid  and  reserved ;  the  clergy  imbued  with 
customs  and  traditions  that  had  come  down  from  the  days 
of  persecution,  the  churches,  schools,  and  religious  houses 
few  and  far  between.  He  taught  his  co-religionists  to  take 
their  share  in  the  public  life  of  the  country  and  to  use  their 
political  privileges.  He  multiplied  churches  and  religious 
orders,  and  infused  a  new  spirit  into  the  whole  body  of  the 
priesthood.  In  the  midst  of  all  these  labours,  he  charmed 
and  impressed  those  outside  the  '  household  of  the  faith  '  by 
his  acknowledged  abilities  as  a  public  lecturer  on  literary 
and  artistic  topics.  Full  of  the  most  genuine  piety,  but 
without  the  least  bit  of  bigotry,  he  gradually  came  to 
inspire  general  admiration  for  his  worth,  and  when  his 
strenuous  life  closed  in  February  1865,  his  countrymen  of 


HISTORICAL   INTRODUCTION  43 

all  creeds  and  classes  honoured  his  remains  with  a  funeral 
recalling  that  of  the  great  Duke  of  Wellington  in  1852. 

With  the  return  of  Catholicism  in  England  to  a  normal 
state  of  existence,  this  brief  and  imperfect  sketch  of  its 
post-Eeformation  history  closes.  The  laborious  work  of 
building  up  afresh  the  ruined  fabrics,  and  replanting  among 
our  countrymen  the  faith  of  St.  Augustine  and  St.  Gregory, 
is  still  in  progress.  The  question  is  sometimes  asked  of  Catho 
lics  if  they  really  think  that  Britain  and  its  colossal  empire 
will  ever  receive  the  Church  as  their  mother  and  their  queen, 
or,  in  a  word,  if  the  dead  and  buried  past  can  live  again. 
The  answer  that  might  be  given  is  that  greater  marvels 
than  this  have  been  accomplished,  and  that  compared  to, 
say,  Arianism,  which  threatened  the  existence  of  Christianity 
in  the  early  ages,  the  revolt  from  Rome  in  the  sixteenth 
century  is  but  a  mere  incident  in  the  history  of  Catholicism. 
If  the  downfall  of  the  Ancient  Church  in  England  was  some 
thing  absolutely  wondrous,  her  rise  in  recent  times  is  even 
more  amazing.  In  spite  of  kings  and  governors,  and  the 
perils  arising  from  false  brethren,  she  has  fought  the  good 
fight  and  kept  the  faith,  and  can  with  full  hope  look  forward 
to  the  abundant  harvest  that  springs  from  seed  sown  amidst 
sufferings,  self-sacrifice,  and  tears.  What  difficulties  and 
dangers  of  the  future  has  she  to  fear  whose  journey  has 
been  through  storm  and  stress,  the  manifold  vicissitudes  of 
things  ?  Per  tot  discrimina  rerum  I 


MISSIONS 


N.B. — In  the  lists  of  the  Clergy  only  the  names  of  the  head  priests 
or  '  rectors  '  are  given.     The  dates  of  appointment  are  approximate. 


ABBEY  WOOD,  KENT  (South- 
war  Je). 

The  congregation  of  the  Filles  de 
Jesus,  expelled  from  France  under 
the  Law  of  Associations,  established 
a  convent  here  in  1904.  The  chapel, 
which  is  open  to  the  public,  is  for 
the  present  served  from  Plum- 
stead. 

N.B.— The  name  of  the  locality 
is  derived  from  Lesnes  Abbey,  an 
Augustinian  house,  founded  in  1178 
by  Richard  de  Lucy,  and  dedicated 
to  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury.  It 
was  among  the  number  of  smaller 
monasteries  suppressed  by  Cardinal 
"Wolsey,  1524.  The  revenues  were 
granted  to  New  College,  Oxford,  as 
an  endowment. 


ABBOTS  SALFORD,  EVESHAM, 
WARWICKSHIRE  (Birmingham). 

The  Jesuit  Fathers  occasionally 
visited  Evesham  to  say  Mass  and 
administer  the  sacraments  for  the 
benefit  of  the  faithful  few  that  clung 
to  the  old  religion  in  spite  of  the 
penal  laws.  Fr.  T.  Roper,  S.J.,was 
priest  at  Evesham  from  1693  to 
about  1700.  This  excellent  priest 
was  a  near  relation  of  the  Lords 
Teynham,  the  lineal  descendants  of 
the  Blessed  Thomas  More.  After 


the  dissolution,  Henry  VIII.  granted 
Abbots  Salford  and  Evesham  Abbey 
to^Sir  Philip  Hoby.  The  property 
ultimately  passed  to  the  Stanfords, 
one  of  whom,  Charles  Stanford, 
built  the  Hall,  1610.  Mrs.  Stan 
ford,  the  last  of  the  family,  lent  the 
Hall  to  some  Benedictine  nuns  ex 
pelled  from  France  by  the  Revolu 
tion.  The  community  resided  here 
from  1807  to  1838.  The  property 
is  now  owned  by  the  Eyston  family. 

Priests  since  1727. 
Rev.  Francis  Southcot,  1727. 

Francis  Bruning,  1730. 

John  Daniel,  1760. 

Thos.  Ballyman,  1768. 

Edmund  Hadley,  1775. 

Richard  Reeve,  1778. 

Edw.  Wright,  1781. 

J.  Conzi,  1797. 

P.  F.  Chandon,  1800. 

Chris.  Louvel,  1804. 

Ralph  Shaw,       ) 

James  Norman,    j- 1808-1818. 

Stephen  Barber,) 

Thos.  Wassal,  O.S.B.,  1818. 

Thos.  Lawson,  1823. 

L.  Barber,    ) 

J.  Kenyon,    [1830-37. 

John  Abbot, ) 

Joseph  Short,  1837. 

S.  Barber,  O.S.B.,  1838. 

Henry  Richmond,  1844. 

Ambrose  Courtenay,  1853. 


46 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


Rev.  Edw.  Kenny,  1854. 
Pat.  Hartigan,  1858. 
A.  Crane,  1882. 
Wm.  Stoker,  1885. 
Canon  McCave,  1889. 
John  B.  Caldwell,  1892. 
A.  Crane  (second  time),  1893. 
F.  Sutherland,  1896. 
Canon  O'Hanlon,  1901. 
James  Giblin,  1901. 
James  Bredin,  1904. 


ABERFORD,  WEST  RIDING, 
YORKS  (Leeds). 

This  mission,  according  to  the 
statement  of  the  Rev.  John  Robin 
son,  was  founded|in  1786.  In  the 
later  part  of  the  eighteenth  century 
it  would  appear  to  have  been  served 
by  Benedictines.  Fr.  Steare,  O.S.B., 
was  priest  at  Aberford  in  1765,  but, 
as  there  was  then  no  chapel,  he 
resided  at  Parlington,  a  few  miles 
distant.  The  registers  date  from 
1806,  but  no  priest's  signature  ap 
pears  in  them  before  1810,  when 
the  Rev.  W.  Chew  had  charge  of 
the  mission. 

Priests  since  1824. 
Rev.  Allerton. 

„   J.  Robinson,  1829. 

„   A.  Atkinson,  1843. 

,.   F.  Williams,  O.S.B.,  1866. 

„   G.  Fazakerley,  O.S.B.,  1877. 

„   Jos.  Warden,  O.S.B.,  1892. 

„   Jn.  Carew,  O.S.B.,  1893. 

„  F.  Hickey,  O.S.B.,  1896. 


ABERGAVENNY,  MONMOUTH 
SHIRE  (Neivport).  St.  Michael. 

A  Franciscan  mission  was  es 
tablished  here  1687.  The  house 
of  the  Order  was  in  Frogmore 
Street,  and  was  the  gift  of  Peter 
Morgan,  Esq.,  who  gave  it  in  trust 
to  Mrs.  Mary  Roberts.  Mrs.  Gun- 


ter  and  Mrs.  F.  Watkins  were  also 
early  benefactresses  of  the  founda 
tion.  The  Franciscan  title  of  the 
mission  was  that  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception.  The  building  was  en 
larged,  1793,  owing  to  a  bequest  of 
Mr.  Weld,  of  Lulworth,  and  other 
benefactions  from  Mr.  Jones  and 
Miss  Prodger.  The  place  ceased 
to  be  an  official  residence  of  the 
Preses  or  Guardian  in  1809, 
though  priests  of  the  Order  con 
tinued  to  live  there  till  1847.  A 
Chapter  was  held  here  in  1835. 
In  1850  the  Catholic  population 
was  about  400;  in  1856,  600;  in 
1864,  800.  The  old  chapel  having 
long  become  inadequate,  the  present 
church  was  commenced  in  1858 
and  finished  May  1860.  The  cost 
of  erection  was  largely  defrayed 
by  Mrs.  Andrus.  A  fine  painted 
window  recalls  the  memory  of 
Baker-Gabb,  Esq.,  another  bene 
factor,  who  died  September  16, 
1858.  One  of  the  lights  represents 
Fr.  Augustine  Baker,  O.S.B.,  a 
native  of  the  town,  who  suffered 
at  Usk  for  the  faith  in  1679,  during 
the  Titus  Oates  plot.  The  mission 
was  taken  over  by  the  Benedictines 
in  1857. 

'  Guardians  '  of  the  Mission. 
Rev.  Pacificus  Williams,  1687. 

„   Chas.  Watkins,  1701. 

„  Mat.  Pritchard,  1713.  Bishop 
of  the  Western  District, 
1715-50. 

„   Chas.  Watkins,  1716. 

„   Lewis  Lewis,  1725. 

„   Chas.  Watkins,  1726. 

„   Leo.  Barker,  1738. 

„   Gregory  Powell,  1740. 

„  Anselm  Copley,  1755. 

„   Gregory  Powell,  1764. 

„   Alexius  Whalley,  1767. 

„  Andrew  Weetman,  1770. 

„  Augustine  Hickins,  1773. 

„   Angelus  Ingram,  1774. 

„   Gregory  Watkins,  1776. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


47 


Rev.  Geo.  Lancaster,  1779. 
„   Andrew  Weetman,  1781. 
„   Gregory  Watkins,  1782. 
„   Hy.  Waring,  1785. 
„   Bernardine  Fleet,  1787. 
Gregory  Watkins,  1788. 
Paschal  Harrison,  1791. 
Greg.  Watkins,  1794. 
Thos.  Cottrell,  1800. 
Greg.  Watkins,  1803. 
Peter  Jones,  1805. 
Stephen  Grafton,  1806. 
Greg.  Watkins,  1808. 
From  1825  the  priests  in  charge  of 

the  mission  have  been  : 
Rev.  Ignatius  Richards,  O.S.F. 
„   Francis  Hendren,O.S.F.,  1826, 

Bishop  of  Clifton,  1850. 
„   Anselm  Millward,  O.S.F.,  1839. 
„   F.  Wilfrid  Price,  O.S.B.,  1857. 
„   J.  B.  Caldwell. 
„   A.  P.  Wilson,  1863. 
„   J.  B.  Caldwell  (second  time), 

1866. 

„   Robt.  Guy,  1877. 
„   Henry  J.  O'Hare,  1885. 
„    Romuald  Morgan,  1888. 
„  C.  Wray,  to  date. 


ABERTILLERY,  MONMOUTH 
SHIRE  (Newport).  St.  Mary. 

The  town,  which  is  engaged  in 
the  iron- smelting  industry,  '  lies 
deep  in  the  wildest  of  the  wild 
recesses  among  the  hills.'  When 
the  Franciscans  established  the 
mission  here  in  1874,  the  place  was 
in  the  utmost  spiritual  destitution. 
Occasionally  '  the  poor  people  would 
trudge  over  the  hills  to  Pontypool 
or  Abersychan '  to  have  a  child 
baptised  or  get  the  priest  to  a  sick 
call,  but  beyond  this  no  signs  of 
Catholicity  were  manifested.  The 
first '  chapel '  was  a  club-room  in  a 
public-house.  The  foundation-stone 
of  the  present  '  plain  simple  chapel ' 
was  laid  by  Bishop  Hedley,  then 


coadjutor  of  Newport,  October  5, 
1875.  The  building,  which  was 
opened  1877,  was  for  some  time 
served  from  Brynmawr,  but  now 
from  Pontymister. 


ABINGDON,  BERKS  (Ports 
mouth).  SS.  Mary  and  Edmund  of 
Canterbury. 

The  mission  was  established 
through  the  zeal  and  liberality  of 
the  late  Sir  George  Bowyer,  Q.C., 
M.P.  Mass  was  said  on  March  6, 
1856,  in  the  library  of  his  house  by 
Bishop  Grant,  of  Southwark.  The 
aisle  and  chancel  of  the  present 
church  were  blessed  by  Mgr.  Virtue, 
afterwards  Bishop  of  Portsmouth, 
September  30,  1857.  The  style  of 
the  building  is  decorated  Gothic  ; 
architect,  W.  Wardell.  The  edifice 
was  completed  October  1865.  A 
bell  cot  was  added  to  the  building 
in  August  1884.  The  cemetery 
was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Grant, 
June  1,  1858. 

Priests. 
Rev.  J.  O.  Toole,  D.D.,  1857. 

„    Robert  Kavanagh,  1876. 

„    Edward  Collins,  1881. 

„    Francis  Canon  Kelleher,  1885 
to  date. 


ACCRINGTON,  LANCS  (Salford). 
The  Sacred  Heart. 

When  the  Catholic-  chapel  was 
built  in  1852,  the  Catholics  of 
Accrington  numbered  500.  The 
new  church  was  commenced  1867, 
the  congregation  then  numbering 
3,000,  with  1,200  regular  com 
municants.  Fr.  Maguire,  who  had 
charge  of  the  mission  about  1860, 
obtained  the  site  from  J.  Peel,  Esq., 
and  started  the  church  building- 
fund.  The  style  of  the  building 


48 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


which  was  opened  in  1868,  is 
thirteenth  century  Gothic,  designed 
by  Messrs.  Wilson  and  Nichol.  The 
accommodation  is  for  1,000  per 
sons.  The  total  cost  was  about 
£6,300. 

Priests  (Jesuits). 
Eev.  Joseph  Walmesley,  1853. 

Edw.  Whyte,  1855. 

Hy.  Shea,  1857. 

James  Maguire,  1860. 

Thos.  Brindle,  1870. 

Thos.  Swift,  1888. 

Edw.  Lucas,  1891. 

Arthur  Yates,  1895. 

Joseph  Martin,  1899  to  date. 


ACKWORTH  GRANGE,  near  PON- 
TEFRACT,  YORKS  (Leeds).  The 
Sacred  Heart. 

The  present  church  was  erected 
in  1846  by  Lady  Tempest,  at  a  cost 
of  £10,000.  The  church,  which  is 
described  as  '  a  beautiful  gem,'  was 
designed  by  Mr.  Myers.  A  chapel, 
served  by  the  Jesuit  Fathers,  was 
opened  at  Pontefract  (q.v.)  in  1710. 
The  mission  does  not  figure  as  such 
till  1863,  when  it  was  served  from 
Pontefract.  In  1875  the  mission  is 
marked  '  vacant.' 

Hectors  from  1883. 
Rev.  Joseph  Schropp. 

„    Bernard  Speet,  1888. 

„    James  Canon  Glover,  1896. 

„    Charles  Walsh,  1901  to  date. 


ACOCK'S   GREEN,    WARWICK 
SHIRE.     See  APPENDIX. 


ACTON,  LONDON,  W,  (West 
minster).  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes. 

A  Benedictine  mission  formerly 
existed  at  Acton,  but  when  com 
menced  or  given  up  does  not  appear. 
The  present  mission  was  opened  by 
Fr.  Joseph  Butt,  of  Hammersmith, 


August  2,  1848.  Bishop  Moil-is,  of 
Troy,  officiated,  and  the  Hon.  and 
Rev.  Fr.  Spencer  preached.  From 
1853  the  chapel  was  served  from 
Turnham  Green  (see  CHISWICK). 
The  district  was  described  about 
this  time  as  '  the  poorest  and  most 
needy  mission  in  the  diocese,'  the 
schools  being  supported  by  '  chari 
table  contributions.'  After  1856 
Acton  became  part  of  the  Chiswick 
'  parish,'  but  reappeared  as  an  in 
dependent  mission  1879,  when  a 
temporary  chapel  was  opened  at 
2  Gloucester  Villas,  Shakespeare 
Road.  By  1883  an  iron  church 
had  been  erected  in  Strafford  Road. 
The  present  Romanesque  church, 
designed  by  E.  Goldie,  Esq.,  was 
opened  September  28,  1902,  by 
Mgr.  (now  Bishop)  Fenton.  Seat 
ing  capacity  for  over  five  hundred. 
Cost  of  church  £5,000.  Murillo's 
'  Good  Shepherd '  hangs  in  the  east 
transept,  and  the  sanctuary  has 
recently  been  decorated  with  fres 
coes  after  Perugino  and  Benozzo 
Gozzoli.  The  magnificent  high 
altar  is  in  memory  of  Cardinal 
Yanghan.  Number  of  the  con 
gregation  about  two  thousand. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Joseph  Butt,  1848. 

„     H.  Green,  1848. 

„     Thos.  Heptonstall,  1849. 

„     J.  Clark,  1852. 

„  John  Bonus,  LL.D.,  1853  ; 
till  1879,  mission  served 
from  Turnham  Green  and 
Chiswick. 

„     James  O'Connell,  1879. 

„     Cornelius  Bidle,  1882. 

„     H.  T.  Bradbee,  1885. 

„     C.  E.  Rivers,  M.A.,  1893  to  date. 


ACTON  BURNELL  (Salop). 

Mass  was  said  here  throughout 
the  penal  times  in  the  mansion  of 
the  ancient  family  of  Smythe. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


49 


From  1748  till  1856  the  priests 
lived  at  the  Hall.  In  1792  the 
Visitation  nuns  flying  from  the 
fury  of  the  Revolution  settled  here 
for  a  short  time  before  proceed 
ing  to  Shepton  Mallet  (q.v.)  Two 
years  later,  the  Benedictines  of 
Lambspring  in  Bavaria  came  to 
England  and  opened  a  college  at 
Acton  Burnell  in  a  house  presented 
to  them  by  Sir  Edward  Smythe, 
Bart.  They  removed  to  Downside, 
near  Bath,  in  1814.  In  March 
1846,  a  new  Gothic  church,  dedi 
cated  to  St.  Peter,  was  opened  at 
Acton  Burnell,  mainly  owing  to 
the  benefactions  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Smythe.  Mr.  C.  Hansom  was  the 
architect ;  the  rich  stained-glass 
window  over  the  high  altar  is  the 
work  of  Wailes.  Other  stained-glass 
windows  in  the  beautiful  mortuary 
chapel  represent  various  members 
of  the  Smythe  family  in  attitudes 
of  devotion.  The  high  altar,  dedi 
cated  to  St.  Edward  the  Confessor, 
was  consecrated  at  the  date  of 
opening.  The  cemetery  was  laid 
out  in  1858. 

Priests  at  Acton  Burnell — all 

Benedictines. 
Rev.  Francis  Rook  wood,  1748. 

„    Ambrose  Elliot,  1762. 

,,    Bernard  Bradshaw,  1762. 

,,    Thomas  Ballyman,  1774. 

„    Peter  Kendal,  1795. 

„  Ralph  Radcliffc,  1814  (died 
suddenly  while  going  to  a 
sick  call,  1842). 

„    Bernard  Paillett,  1842. 

,,    Augustine  Rolling,  1842. 

„    Cuthbert  Smith,  1846. 

„    F.  Stanislaus  Giles,  1856. 

„    John  B.  Caldwell,  1876. 

„    John  B.  Davey,  1878. 

„    James  Riley,  1885. 

„    James  Talbot,  1886. 

„    John  Stutter,  1889  to  date. 


ADDINGHAM,  WEST  RIDING, 
YORKSHIRE  (Leeds}. 

The  mission  was  started  in  1904, 
the  first  priest  being  Father  Alfred 
Galli.  The  chapel  at  present  con 
sists  of  two  rooms  at  the  top  of 
a  private  house.  Addingham  is 
famous  as  being  the  birthplace  of  the 
Blessed  Richard  Kirkman,  priest, 
who  suffered  for  the  faith  at  York, 
August  22,  1582,  and  also  of  the 
Blessed  Richard  Horner,  who  suf 
fered  at  York  for  the  same  cause, 
September  4,  1598. 


AINSDALE,   SOUTHPORT,  LANCS 

(Liverpool}.     The  Sacred  Heart. 

A  school  chapel  was  opened  here 
August  15,  1878.  The  building, 
which  was  presented  by  T.  Weld- 
Blundell,  Esq.,  accommodates  about 
150. 

Priests. 
Rev.  W.  Spencer,  1878. 

Win.  Lennon,  1888. 

George  Rigby,  1890. 

Wm.  Smith,  1892. 

J.  McFarlane,  1893. 

F.  Soden,  1902. 

Edward     O'Reilly,     1904    to 
date. 


AISKEW,  YORKS  (Middlcs- 
brongh).  SS.  Mary  and  Joseph. 

The  old  chapel  was  erected  1812, 
at  which  time  the  registers  com 
mence.  The  present  chapel  was 
opened  July  4,  1878,  by  Bishop 
Cornthwaite,  of  Beverley,  on  a  site 
presented  by  Lord  Beaumont.  The 
cost  was  bequeathed  by  Lady 
Throckmorton.  Messrs.  Goldie 
and  Child  were  the  architects ; 
accommodation  for  250  ;  cost  about 
£1,700.  The  building  is  described  as 
resembling  in  appearance  an  old 
village  church. 

E 


50 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Priests. 
Eev.  McQuaide. 

Jos.  Sherwood,  1831. 

Geo.  Keasley,  1860. 

Laurence  McGonnell,  1863. 

Edw.  O'Leary,  1866. 

L.   McGonnell,  1870   (second 

time). 

Lawrence  Schoch,  1877. 
James  Griffin,  1881. 
Wm.  O'Connor,  1888. 
Mission   served  from   North- 

allerton,  1891-5. 
„    James  Butler,  1896. 
„    Richard  Lewis,  to  date. 


ALCESTER,         WARWICKSHIRE 

(Birmingham}.     Our  Lady  and  St. 
Joseph. 

The  mission  was  established  in 
1889,  and  served  from  Coughton 
by  Fr.  Francis  Doyle,  O.S.B.  In 
1896  Fr.  Lawrence  Larkins,  O.S.B., 
was  rector.  His  successors  have 
been  :  Eev.  Eobt.  Kershaw,  1897 ; 
David  Bede  Eyan,  O.S.B.,  1902 
to  date. 


ALDEBURGH,  SUFFOLK  (North- 
ampton}. 

In  1904  a  community  of  Ursuline 
Sisters,  long  established  in  France, 
acquired  Thellusson  Lodge  at  Aide- 
burgh,  where  they  have  commenced 
a  boarding  school.  The  chapel  is 
open  to  the  public,  and  for  the  time 
serves  the  mission.  The  Eev. 
Henry  Mosiiier,  chaplain. 


ALDERSHOT,  HANTS  (Ports 
mouth}.  St.  Joseph's. 

In  1869  Bishop  Grant,  of  South- 
wark,  sent  Father  J.  Purcill  to 
establish  a  permanent  mission  in 


the  town,  exclusive  of  the  existing 
military  chapels  at  North  and 
South  Camps.  A  disused  tavern 
was  acquired,  and  by  some  archi 
tectural  manipulation  transformed 
into  a  temporary  chapel.  This 
place  of  worship  was  opened  July  29 
by  Bishop  Morris,  of  Troy.  By 
August  14  of  the  same  year  the 
congregation  amounted  to  200  re 
gular  attendants.  Efforts  are  at 
present  being  made  to  erect  *  a 
National  Memorial  Church '  in 
memory  of  Catholic  soldiers  killed 
in  South  Africa  (1899-1902). 

Priests. 
Eev.  J.  Purcill,  1869. 

,    Louis  Hall,  1871. 

,    E.  Davis,  1875. 

,    Justin  Mooney,  1881. 

,    Edw.  Eiordan,  1885  to  1902. 

,    Francis    O'Farrell,    1902    to 
date. 


ALFRETON,  DERBYSHIRE  (Not 
tingham).  St.  Mary. 

The  church  was  opened  June  3, 
1883,  by  Canon  McKenna,  V.G. 
The  style  is  Gothic,  the  building 
consisting  of  nave,  chancel,  and 
sacristy.  The  bell  turret  was  pre 
sented  by  Father  D.  Meenagh,  first 
priest  of  the  mission.  The  seating 
accommodation  is  for  about  120. 
On  Sunday,  October  20,  1901,  the 
fine  east  window  of  painted  glass 
was  wilfully  destroyed. 


ALLERTON  PARK,  near 

KNARESBOROUGH,  YORKS  (Leeds}. 
St.  Mary. 

The  district  was  one  of  the  many 
served  by  the  Jesuit  '  College  '  or 
residence  of  St.  Michael  the  Arch 
angel,  temp.  James  I.,  but  no 
records  of  the  history  of  the  mis- 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


51 


sion  are  available.  The  foundation 
of  the  chapel  is  given  as  1807.  The 
registers  commence  in  1816.  Like 
the  neighbouring  mission  of  Knares- 
borough,  Allerton  Park  owes  its  pre 
servation  as  a  centre  of  Catholicity 
to  the  noble  family  of  Stourton. 
The  name  of  the  place  disappeared 
from  the  '  Cathoh'c  Directory '  in 
1853,  but  was  again  inserted  in 
1894.  During  that  time  the  priest 
resided  at  the  adjoining  Stourton. 

Priests. 
Kev.  Thos.  Boiling,  1824. 

„    Chas.  or  Thos.  Weston,  1835. 

„    Jn.  Bridge,  1842. 

„    James  Canon  Glover,  1894. 

„    Julius  de  Baere,  1897. 

„    Joseph  Dewe,  1898. 

„    Ernest  Levick,  1900  to  date. 


ALNWICK,    NORTHUMBERLAND 

(Hexham    and    Newcastle).       St. 
Mary. 

In  1752  Mrs.  Mary  Butler  be 
queathed  some  property  to  Fr.  H. 
Sheldon,  S.J.,  and  from  the  pro 
ceeds  of  this  the  mission  was  estab 
lished  in  1755.  The  property  in 
question  was  held  in  trust  for  the 
society  by  Ralph  Clavering,  Esq., 
of  Callaly  Castle.  Joined  to  the 
bequest  was  the  obligation  of  a 
monthly  Mass  for  the  Ord  family. 
The  old  chapel  or  Mass-house  was 
in  Barliffgate  Street.  Fr.  Francis 
Howard  'introduced'  the  people 
into  '  the  new  chapel  in  Alnwick  ' 
August  14, 1796,  and  Bishop  Gibson, 
V.A.,  confirmed  twenty-seven  per 
sons  on  the  2]  st  of  the  same  month. 
The  present  chapel  was  opened  Sep 
tember  8,  1836,  and  in  July  1857 
the  Jesuits  handed  over  the  mission 
to  the  bishop  of  the  diocese. 

Priests. 
Eev.  H.  Sheldon,  1755. 

„    Nicholas     Saunderson     (died 
1790). 


Rev.  Francis  Howard,  1790. 

„  John  Beaumont,  1802.1  This 
priest  was  a  lineal  descen 
dant  of  Francis  Beaumont 
the  dramatist. 

John  Fishwick,  1833. 

J.  Woollett,  1853. 

J.  Gibson,  1856. 

Edward  Robert,  1891. 

M.  Forster,  1906  to  date. 


ALSTON,  LANGS  (Liverpool). 
Our  Lady  and  St.  Michael. 

'  Where  the  Wilsons,  the  Catons, 
the  Edmondsons  and  the  Cowbans, 
sterling  good  old  priests — some  of 
the  last,  some  of  the  present  cen 
tury — laboured  for  the  good  of  souls 
and  the  honour  of  their  Heavenly 
Master.'  (Tablet,  September  12, 
1857.)  The  old  chapel  or  '  Mass- 
house,'  dating  from  1761,  was  super 
seded  in  September  1857  by  a 
handsome  church  in  the  Early 
English  style  of  architecture,  capa 
ble  of  seating  600  to  700  persons. 
The  structure  is  of  stone,  from  the 
designs  of  E.  Welby  Pugin.  The 
building  cost  about  £  1,500.  Bishop 
Goss,  of  Liverpool,  was  present  at 
the  opening.  The  bulk  of  the 
money  for  the  erection  of  the 
church  was  collected  by  the  Rev 
H.  Sharpies,  the  then  priest  of  the 
mission. 

Priests  since  1874. 
Rev.  Thos.  WTalton. 

„    Thos.  Bridges,  1897  to  date. 


ALTON,  STAFFORDSHIRE  (Bir 
mingham).  St.  John. 

Till  1833  Catholics  in  and  about 
Alton  were  ministered  to  by  the 

1  N.B.     The  Abbe  Gautier,  an  emigre, 
assisted  Fr.  Beaumont  for  a  short  time. 
E2 


52 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


priest  at  Alton  Towers,  the  resi 
dence  of  the  staunchly  Catholic 
Earls  of  Shrewsbury.  In  that  year 
a  fine  church  in  the  Gothic  style  was 
erected  by  John,  sixteenth  Earl  of 
Shrewsbury,  to  whose  piety  and 
munificence  so  many  of  the  churches 
and  chapels  in  the  north  and  west 
of  England  are  due.  The  church 
measures  90  feet  by  30  feet,  and  is 
wainscoted  in  oak.  The  handsome 
altar  of  gilt-bronze  stands  in  an 
oriel  recess,  lighted  by  a  iimllioned 
window  adorned  with  figures  of  the 
four  Evangelists.  Copies  of  the 
'  Transfiguration  '  by  Rafaelle  and 
the  '  Communion  of  St.  Jerome  ' 
also  adorn  this  church.  In  the 
sanctuary  are,  or  were,  two  pictures 
by  Pietro  Perugino.  In  a  niche 
outside  the  church,  stands  a  pre- 
Reformation  stone  statue  of  St. 
Peter,  the  patron  of  the  parish. 
Attached  to  the  church  are  schools 
for  boys  and  girls,  also  founded  by 
Lord  Shrewsbury.  In  1834  the 
Catholics  of  Alton  numbered  100. 
At  present  they  exceed  400. 

Priests  at  Alton. 

Rev.  Daniel  Rock,  D.D.,  1827 
author  of  '  Hierurgia  '  &c. 
Canon  of  Southwark  1851 
died  1871. 

Henry  Winter,  D.D.,  1840. 

John 'O'Connor,  1866. 

A.  B.  Gurdon,  1871. 

W.  J.  Butler,  1879. 

John  Ullathorne,  1882  to  date. 


ALTRINCHAM,  or  ALTEINGHAM 

(Cheshire).     St.  Vincent  of  Paul. 

The  mission  of  Altrincham  was 
started  in  1847  in  a  small  house  in 
George  Street.  The  number  of 
Catholics  there  at  that  time  is  not 
recorded,  but  when  the  stone  of  the 
new  church  was  laid  on  Thursday, 
May  27,  1858,  the  congregation 


amounted  to  about  400.  The  exiled 
members  of  Louis  Philippe's  family 
are  said  to  have  worshipped  here. 
The  new  school  at  Hale  Moss  was 
opened  February  2,  1872,  and  en 
larged  1885. 

Priests. 
Rev.  M.  O'Reilly,  1847. 

J.  Berry,  1853. 

W.  Walton,  1855. 

H.  Alcock,  1858. 

J.  Canon  O'Brien,  1876. 

W.  Stanley,  1898. 

C.  Ryder,  1903  to  date. 


AMBLE,         NORTHUMBERLAND 

(Hexham    and    Neivcastle).       St. 
Cuthbert. 

The  mission  was  served  from 
Felton  in  1877,  during  which  year 
the  present  church  was  built.  The 
Catholic  population  in  1890  num 
bered  about  250,  scattered  over 
a  wild  district  abounding  in  old 
families  that  had  never  lost  the 
faith.  One  of  these  was  the  Scrow- 
ther  family,  of  East  Chevington, 
where  a  station  for  mission  pur 
poses  was  held  during  the  eight 
days'  mission  preached  at  Amble 
in  April  1890,  by  the  late  Fr. 
Jerome  Vaughan,  O.S.B. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Edw.  Robert,  1885. 

„    Jn.  Roth,  1888. 

„    Mat.  Culley,  1890. 

„    M.  Forster,  1893. 

„    Chas.  Dunne,  1897  to  date. 


AMBLESIDE,         WESTMORLAND 

(Hexhain    and    Newcastle).      Our 
Lady  of  Ambleside. 

Mass  was  said  here  for  the  first 
time  on  Sunday,  July  21,  1878,  by 
Fr.J.McAuliffe,  O.S.B.  The  chapel 
was  an  *  upper  room '  in  a  private 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


53 


house.  In  1880  Canon  Curry  of 
Doddingcon  said  Mass  here  on  alter 
nate  Sundays  during  the  summer. 
A  Gothic  iron  church  was  opened, 
August  1887.  The  altar-piece 
(Mater  Amabilis)  is  by  Sassofer- 
rato.  Fr.A.  G.Brady,  M.A.  (Oxon.), 
was  the  first  resident  priest.  Catho 
lics  of  the  district  numbered  eighty- 
five  in  1890.  In  1893  a  Premon- 
stratensian  priory  was  erected,  and 
the  mission  served  for  several  years 
by  that  Order.  The  church  is  now 
attended  on  Sundays  from  Kirk- 
stone  Brow  (1905). 


AMPLEFORTH,  OSWALDKIRK, 
YORK  (Middlesbrough).  St.  Law 
rence's  Abbey  and  College. 

The  dilapidated  and  deserted 
church  and  cloister  of  St.  Lawrence, 
Dieulouard,  in  the  province  of  Lor 
raine,  were  offered  in  1606  as  a  gift 
to  the  English  Benedictines.  The 
foundation  from  1020  to  1602  had 
been  an  endowed  canonry.  The 
new  occupants  quickly  raised  the 
value  of  the  property  by  skilful 
agricultural  and  brewing  enter 
prises.  In  1779,  the  house  became 
the  school  of  humanities  for  St. 
Gregory's,  Douai,  and  so  remained 
till  suppressed  by  the  Revolution, 
1792-3.  Prior  Marsh,  the  fathers 
and  students,  after  many  vicissi 
tudes,  escaped  to  Treves  and  thence 
to  England.  The  community  re 
mained  for  some  time  at  Acton 
Burnell,  under  the  patronage  of  Sir 
E.  Smythe,  Bart.,  and  after  various 
brief  sojourns  at  Birkenhead, 
Scholes,  Vernon  Hall,  etc.,  finally 
settled  at  Ampleforth  Lodge  in  1802. 
This  house,  with  thirty-two  acres 
of  land,  had  been  given  by  Lady 
Fairfax  as  a  place  of  retirement  to 
her  aged  chaplain,  Fr.  Bolton, 
who  made  the  property  over  to 
Prior  Applcton.  In  1803  the  com 


munity  consisted  of  two  priests, 
five  religious  and  nine  boys.  Six 
years  later  the  first  ordination  took 
place  at  Ampleforth.  The  Vicar 
Apostolic  was  Bishop  Gibson.  The 
'  west  wing  '  served  as  the  college 
chapel  for  fifty  years ;  the  '  east 
wing  '  from  1815  till  1854  contained 
the  old  dormitories  and  college  class 
rooms.  The  fine  Gothic  church, 
commenced  1855,  was  completed  in 
1857.  The  new  college  block  of 
class  and  lecture  rooms  was  erected 
1859-61.  The  much-needed  monas 
tery  was  started  in  1894  and  finished 
1897.  In  1900  Ampleforth  was 
raised  to  the  dignity  of  an  abbey. 
The  centenary  of  the  college  was 
celebrated  July  21, 22,  and  23, 1903. 


ANDERTON,    CHORLEY,     LANCS 

(Liverpool).     St.  Joseph. 

The  first  stone  of  the  church  was 
laid  August  31,  1862,  by  Bishop 
Goss,  of  Liverpool.  The  style  is 
Early  English.  The  Stonors  have 
a  '  family  tribune '  in  the  church. 
The  seating  accommodation  is  for 
about  400  persons.  At  the  west 
end  of  the  building  is  erected 
an  ancient  pre- Reformation  cross, 
which  stood  at  Anderton  some  four 
centuries  ago.  The  church  was 
opened  in  December  1863.  Charles 
J.  Stonor,  Esq.,  of  Anderton,  gave  the 
church  site  and  much  of  the  mate 
rials  with  which  the  edifice  is  built. 
The  schools  were  enlarged  1884  and 
again  in  1894.  Church  and  presby 
tery  re-roofed  1889. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Canon  Greenhalgh,  1861. 

„    Peter  Kane,  1862. 

„    Michael  Donnelly,  1881. 

„    J.  Webster,  1883. 

„    Thos.  Smith,  1900  to  date. 


54 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


ANDOVER,  HANTS  (Portsmouth). 

The  Eev.  Dr.  Val  d'Eremao,  of 
Basingstoke,  opened  the  mission 
here  on  January  5,  1886.  The 
chapel  was  at  first  in  a  private 
house,  but  afterwards  temporary 
premises  were  rented.  About  twenty 
persons  assembled  for  Mass  on  the 
first  day.  Fr.  d'Eremao,  after  hear 
ing  confessions  at  Basingstoke  on 
Saturday,  went  down  to  Andover 
by  the  last  train,  and  on  Sunday 
morning  said  Mass  at  8.15,  return 
ing  to  Basingstoke  to  say  his  second 
mass  at  11.  From  about  1897  the 
mission  has  been  served  from  Win 
chester. 

ANERLEY,  LONDON,  S.E.  (South 
ward).  The  Holy  Child  and  St. 
Anthony  of  Padua. 

Until  1878  the  nearest  mission 
was  at  Norwood.  On  October  25 
of  that  year  an  iron  church  was 
opened  in  the  Genoa  Eoad.  Canon 
A.  Bethell,  who  purchased  the  church 
site,  also  erected  the  presbytery.  He 
resigned  in  1891,  and  shortly  after 
wards  the  temporary  place  of  wor 
ship  had  to  be  given  up.  The 
present  edifice  of  brick,  opened 
May  14,  1898,  consists  of  two 
stories,  the  upper  being  used  as  a 
chapel  and  the  lower  one  as  a 
school.  The  estimated  Catholic 
population  in  1 900  was  about  450. 

Priests. 
Eev.  A.  Canon  Bethell,  1878. 

„    Edmund  Miller,  1891. 

„    W.  Thompson,  1900. 

„    Thos.  Neville,  1905  to  date. 


ANGMERING,  SUSSEX  (South 
ward).  St.  Wilfrid. 

The  church  was  opened  in  1872 
and  was  the  gift  of  the  present 
Duke  of  Norfolk.  The  Catholic 
population  of  the  district  is  about 
100.  Till  the  appointment  of  the 


present  rector,  the  Eev.  E.  Von 
Orsbach,  in  1902,  the  mission  was 
served  from  Arundel. 


ANGRAM,  YORKSHIRE  (Leeds}. 

An  iron  chapel  costing  £250  was 
opened  here  by  Canon  Croskell  of 
the  Cathedral,  Leeds,  on  Sunday, 
May  13,  1906.  The  chapel,  which 
has  been  mainly  erected  for  the 
use  of  the  navvies  employed  on  the 
construction  of  a  new  reservoir  for 
the  Bradford  Corporation,  is  for  the 
present  served  from  the  Cathedral. 


ANNITSFORD,  NORTHUMBER 
LAND  (Hexham  and  Newcastle). 
St.  John  the  Baptist. 

The  mission  was  established  in 
1863  and  for  several  years  after 
wards  was  described  as  being 
'  greatly  in  need  of  help.'  A  chapel 
was  erected  in  1866,  and  the  new 
Church  opened  June  24,  1906. 

Priests. 
Eev.  John  O'Dwyer. 

„    Henry  Walmesley,  1881. 

„    David  Scott,  1899. 

„    John  Chapman,  1904  to  date. 


APPULDURCOMBE,  ISLE  OF 
WIGHT  (Portsmouth).  St.  Peter's 
Abbey. 

The  Benedictines  of  Solesmes, 
near  Nantes,  expelled  from  France 
by  the  anti- Christian  policy  of  M. 
Combes  and  his  government,  settled 
here  in  1900-1.  The  splendid 
Gothic  abbey  and  church  of  the 
Order  in  France  is  represented  by 
a  moderately  commodious  mansion 
and  iron  chapel.  A  school  of  Gre 
gorian  or  Plain  Chant  has  been 
opened  at  the  monastery,  and 
already  its  influence  is  being  felt 
in  the  liturgical  world.  It  may  be  of 
interest  to  remark  that  the  Abbey 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


55 


of  Solesmes  which  was  confiscated 
for  the  first  time  during  the  Great 
Revolution,  was  reoccupied  by  the 
Benedictines  in  1830.  The  choir 
stalls  have  curious  carvings  repre 
senting  the  genealogy  of  Our  Lord. 
The  Community  also  possesses  its 
valuable  library  of  ancient  MSS. 
and  a  sacred  Thorn,  which  came 
into  their  possession  at  the  time  of 
the  first  Crusade. 


APPLETON,    LANCS    (St.   Bede). 
See  Widnes. 


ARNO'S  COURT,  CLIFTON  (Clif 
ton). 

The  church  of  the  Convent  of  the 
Good  Shepherd  Order  was  opened 
March  29,  1859,  by  the  Hon.  and 
Bt.  Rev.  Dr.  Clifford,  Bishop  of 
Clifton.  The  style  is  Lombardo- 
Byzantine.  The  sanctuary  is 
lighted  by  a  perforated  arcade  of 
five  arches  filled  with  stained  glass. 
Mr.  C.  Hansom,  of  Clifton,  was  the 
architect. 


ARUNDEL,  SUSSEX  (Southward). 
St.  Philip. 

Owing  to  the  adherence  of  the 
Dukes  of  Norfolk  to  the  Catholic 
faith,  a  chapel  was  maintained  here 
throughout  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  penal  times.  The  domestic 
chapel  of  St.  George,  within  the 
precincts  of  Arundel  Castle,  re 
mained  the  place  of  Catholic  wor 
ship  down  to  about  1790,  when 
Charles,  eleventh  Duke  of  Norfolk, 
being  then  engaged  in  enlarging 
the  Castle,  removed  the  chapel  to 
the  site  of  the  old  College  of  the 
Blessed  Trinity  founded  by  Richard, 
Earl  of  Arundel,  in  1380.  The  old 
ruins  were  restored,  and  the  place 
continued  to  serve  the  purpose  of 


a  church  till  the  erection  of  the 
present  magnificent  building.  The 
most  noted  priest  at  Arundel  in 
recent  times  was  the  late  Canon 
Mark  A.  Tierney,  F.R.S.,  F.S.A., 
the  well-known  author  of  the  '  His 
tory  of  Arundel '  (2  vols.,  1834),  and 
continuator  of  Dodd's  'Church 
History  from  1688  to  1800.'  Canon 
Tierney  was  incumbent  from  1824 
till  his  death  in  February  1862. 
In  1873  the  present  cathedral 
church  of  St.  Philip  Neri,  com 
menced  in  1868,  was  opened  by 
Bishop  Danell  of  Southwark.  The 
munificent  donor  was  Henry, 
present  Duke  of  Norfolk,  who,  it  is 
said,  expended  over  £100,000  on  the 
building.  The  style  is  fourteenth 
century  Gothic.  A  superb  series  of 
stations  of  the  Cross  by  Messrs. 
Bolton  have  recently  been  erected 
in  memory  of  the  late  Bishop  Butt. 
Near  the  entrance  of  the  church  are 
two  memorial  brasses  to  Privates 
Madden  and  Glossop,  natives  of 
Arundel,  who  were  killed  in  the 
great  Boer  War  of  1899-1902. 
Fifty  years  ago  the  number  of 
Catholics  in  Arundel  is  said  to  have 
amounted  to  only  100;  at  present 
(1904)  it  is  over  1,200 — more  than 
half  the  population.  By  a  judg 
ment  of  the  High  Court  about 
twenty  years  ago,  half  of  the  parish 
church,  known  as  the  '  Arundel 
Chapel,'  was  reserved  for  Catholic 
uses.  Here  are  buried  many  gene 
rations  of  FitzAlan  Howards,  for 
the  repose  of  whose  souls  Mass  is 
offered  up  occasionally  at  the  high 
altar.  The  magnificent  east  window 
depicting  members  of  the  Howard 
family  assisting  at  the  Holy  Sacri 
fice  was  put  in  by  the  present  Duke. 
With  regard  to  the  old  chapel  in 
use  from  1791  to  1873,  it  measured 
42  ft.  by  20  ft.,  and  had  a  fine  altar 
adorned  with  gilt  bronze,  which, 
among  the  uninitiated,  passed 


56 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


for  '  real  gold  ' !  The  altar-piece  j 
was  a  painting  of  the  '  Adoration  of  j 
the  Shepherds.'  A  cottage  school 
was  established  by  Fr.  Butt  in  King 
Street  in  1858.  The  present  fine 
schools  in  the  Tudor  style,  were 
opened  in  1885,  and  were  the  gift 
of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk.  The  sacristy 
of  the  church  is  rich  in  reliqua 
ries  and  plate,  including  splendid 
Louis  XV.  silver  candelabra,  a 
silver  relic  case  (Flemish,  sixteenth 
century)  embossed  with  scenes  from 
the  life  of  King  David,  said  to  have 
belonged  to  Philip  II.  of  Spain,  &c. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Charles  Cordell,  1748. 
„     Joseph  Addis,  1772. 
„      -  Fiswick,  1780. 
„     Philip  Wyndham,  1785. 
„     Mark  Canon  Tierney,  F.R.S., 

F.S.A.,  1824. 

„     John  Butt,  1862  (assistant  to 
Canon  Tierney,  1858 ;  Canon 
of  South vvark,  1871 ;  Bishop 
of    Southwark,    1885  ;     re 
signed,  1896 ;  died,  1899). 
„     John  Burke,  1885. 
„     A.  S.  MacCall,  M.A.,  1898  to 
date. 


ASCOT,  BERKS  (Portsmouth). 
St.  Francis. 

The  first  stone  of  the  new  Fran 
ciscan  church  adjoining  the  monas 
tery  at  South  Ascot  was  laid  by 
Bishop  Virtue  of  Portsmouth, 
Tuesday,  May  8,  1888.  The  build 
ing  was  opened  and  consecrated 
July  4,  1889.  The  style  is  Early 
English,  the  accommodation  being 
for  500  persons.  The  Monks'  choir 
is  behind  the  high  altar.  The  cost 
of  erection  was  about  £2,500.  The 
site  was  generously  given  by  E.  F. 
Devenish  Walsh,  Esq.,  of  Ascot. 
Prior  to  the  erection  of  the  church, 
Catholics  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Ascot  were  allowed  to  attend  Mass 


at  the  residence  of  C.  J.  Stonor, 
Esq.,  and  also  at  the  Convent  of  the 
Institute  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 


ASHBOURNE,  DERBYSHIRE 

(Nottingham).     All  Saints. 

For  some  time  prior  to  1888,  the 
only  place  of  Catholic  worship  was 
'  a  contemptible  old  building.'  The 
mission  was  established  in  1848. 
As  a  result  of  numerous  appeals,  a 
plain  but  convenient  Gothic  church, 
designed  by  Simpson,  was  opened, 
August  26,  1888.  Between  1850 
and  1854,  the  mission  was  served 
from  Mary  vale  and  St.  Wilfrid's. 

Rev.  Wm.  Daly,  1848. 
R.  Raby,  1855. 
Jn.  Cantwell,  1876. 
Wm.  O'Dwyer,  1879. 
W.  Otty,  1885. 
J.  O'Haire,  1888. 
T.  Middleton,  1892. 
Hubert  de  Burgh,  1899. 
Fredk.  Brown,  to  date. 


ASHFORD.    KENT   (Souihwarty. 

St.  Teresa. 

This  was  one  of  the  places  served 
by  the  Jesuit  College  or  residence 
of  St.  Ignatius  as  far  back  as  1619. 
No  record  of  the  mission,  however, 
has  been  handed  down.  Calehill, 
near  Ashford,  was  the  ancient  seat 
of  the  Catholic  family  of  Darell,  and 
their  chaplains  attended  Catholics 
in  the  neighbourhood  till  after  the 
establishment  of  the  Ashford  mis 
sion.  In  1857  Fr.  Sheridan,  of 
Calehill,  hired  a  room  in  New  Street, 
Ashford,  for  Mass  on  Sundays. 
The  premises  are  now  a  public- 
house  known  as  the  '  Three  Ones  ' 
(1  1  1).  In  1859  a  temporary 
chapel  was  opened  in  Chart  Terrace, 
afterwards  removed  to  20  Queen 
Street,  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Wood, 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


57 


whose  husband  was  the  priest's 
right-hand  man.  The  mission  was 
also  greatly  assisted  about  this 
time  by  a  Mrs.  Piddlesden,  who 
1  kept  the  handful  of  Catholics  to 
gether  and  arranged  for  a  priest  to 
come  and  give  Mass  on  Sundays.' 
The  present  church  on  Barrow 
Hill  was  opened  by  Bishop  Grant, 
August  22, 1865.  £800  of  the  build 
ing  expenses  were  contributed  by 
Lady  Tufton.  Archbishop  Manning 
preached  (St.  Luke  i.  46).  The 
Dover  choir,  under  the  direction  of 
Fr.  Laws,  sang  the  Mass.  A  stone 
altar  was  erected  in  March  1867, 
and  the  sanctuary  was  completed 
1892.  The  presbytery  was  erected 
1888.  A  school  in  the  Victoria 
lload  was  opened  October  1,  1899, 
at  a  cost  of  £2,015  13s.  Id.  A  Con 
vent  High  School,  under  the  direc 
tion  of  the  Sisters  '  de  1'Enfance  de 
Jesus,'  was  established  in  1903. 
The  Darell  family  is  now  extinct, 
the  last  member,  Major  Darell 
(60th  Rifles),  dying  in  1869.  The 
Confirmation  records  at  the  old 
family  chapel  are  as  follow? :  con 
firmations  by  Bishop  Poynter,  De 
cember  8,  1812 ;  by  Bishop  Brams- 
ton,  July  11,  1830;  by  Bishop 
Griffiths,  November  14,  1844; 
by  Bishop  Wiseman,  September 

23,  1849;    by  Bishop  Grant,  May 

24,  1858,  October   28,    1860,  April 
19,  1863,  August  22,  1865. 

Chaplains  at  Calehill. 
Rev.  John  Bullock,  1791-1819. 
„    John    Russell,  Peter    Portier, 
Hy.    Riley,   James  Crosby, 
1819. 

„    Joseph  Addis,  1819  21. 
„    Thos.  Percy,  1821. 
„    Francis  Tiiite,  1825. 
John  Tuomy,  1826. 
Wm.  Ryan,  O.S.B.,  1827. 
John  Kyne,  1842. 
J.  R.  Hearn,  1845. 
Hy.  S.  Philips,  1846. 


Rev.  Wm.  Harris,  1848. 
„    Jn.  McDonald,  1850. 
„    Jn.    Butfc,    1852     (Bishop    of 

Southwark,  1885-96). 
„    J.  P.  O'Toole,  1854. 
„    H.  C.  Logan,  1855. 
„    Edw.  Sheridan,  1857. 

Priests  at  Asliford. 
\    Rev.  Edw.  Sheridan,  1857. 
,,    A.  Oromi,  1859. 
„    Thos.  Moore,  1871. 
„    Daniel  Spillane,  1872. 
„    Thos.  Quinn,    1883.     Mission 

served      from      Ramsgate, 

1884. 

„    F.  Reynaert,  1885. 
„    C.  Turner,  1897. 
„    P.  Mason,  1904. 


ASHFORD,  MIDDLESEX  (West 
minster). 

In  1899  the  Sisters  of  the  Order 
of    the    Good    Shepherd    acquired 
1  Ecclesfield,'  a  commodious  man 
sion  and  extensive  estate  adjoining, 
for  use  as  a  female  inebriates'  home. 
The  chapel,  which  is  open  to  the 
i    public,  is   so  arranged  as  to  keep 
I    the  inmates  unseen  by  the  external 
worshippers.     A  site  for  a  mission 
!    church   was  purchased   September 
1908  (£200)  and  the  building  will 
be  opened  for  worship  in  December. 

Chaplains. 

Rev.  R.  D.  Browne,  1899. 
„  E.  M.  Daniell,  1904. 
„  —  Cave,  1906  to  date. 


ASHINGTON,  NORTHUMBER 
LAND  (Hexham  and  Newcastle). 
St.  Aidan. 

The  mission  was  started  in  1892 
and  served  from  Morpeth  till  1895. 
The  church  was  opened  1895.  The 
present  rector,  Fr.  John  O'Hear, 
O.S.B.,  was  appointed  the  same 
i  year. 


58 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


ASHLEY,  STAFFORDSHIRE  (Bir 
mingham).  Our  Blessed  Lady  and 
St.  John  the  Baptist. 

The  chapel,  *  a  neat  and  commo 
dious  edifice,'  as  the  '  Catholic 
Miscellany '  of  the  day  described 
it,  was  opened  October  29,  1823. 
The  first  title  of  the  mission  was 
St.  Brigit.  For  some  time  it  was 
served  in  conjunction  with  Cobridge. 
Fr.  Egan  was  appointed  first  resi 
dent  priest  in  1827. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Egan,  1827. 

„    Holland,  1828. 

„    Gates,  1835. 

„    E.  Hodson,  1840. 

„    F.  McGrath,  1849. 

Mission  served  from  Swyn- 
nerton  Park,  1861,  et  seq. ; 
at  present  from  Eccleshall. 


ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD  (Li 
verpool). 

A  new  chapel  and  altar  of  Our 
Lady  of  the  Holy  Rosary  was 
solemnly  dedicated  Sunday,  No 
vember  6,  1887.  These  additions 
to  the  church  were  erected  by  the 
Eev.  Dean  O'Reilly  and  the  con 
gregation,  in  memory  of  Robert 
Tolver,  first  Lord  Gerard,  who  died 
March  15,  1887.  Lord  Gerard  was 
a  great  benefactor  to  the  mission, 
which  was  commenced  in  1822, 
when  the  old  chapel  of  St.  Oswald 
was  built.  There  were  no  Catholic 
schools  in  1830,  but  fifteen  years 
later  there  were  both  day  and 
Sunday  schools,  with  about  300 
pupils;  145  children  and  adults 
were  confirmed  at  the  chapel  on 
Sunday,  September  14,  1845,  by 
Bishop  Sharpies.  The  church  was 
rebenched,  refloored,  and  supplied 
with  new  altar  rails  in  1891, 


ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE,  LANCS 
(Bedford). 

Mission  established  1857.  In 
1868  (August)  the  '  poor  chapel ' 
of  the  place  was  nearly  destroyed 
by  an  anti- Catholic  mob  incited  by 
one  Murphy,  a  notorious  Protestant 
lecturer.  The  large  crucifix  was 
injured  by  pistol  shots,  and  win 
dows  and  pews  broken.  The  priest, 
Fr.  J.  Beesly,  endeavoured  to  obtain 
compensation,  but,  after  a  trial  of 
the  case  before  the  Salford  Hun 
dred  Court,  was  non-suited  on  the 
ground  that  '  the  mob  did  not  in 
tend  entirely  to  demolish ' !  Several 
of  the  rioters,  however,  were  con 
victed  before  Mr.  Justice  Hannen 
at  the  assizes,  and  sentenced  to 
various  terms  of  imprisonment. 
The  chapel  at  Ashton-under-Lyne 
was  built  1858-59  by  the  zealous 
Fr.  W.  Crombleholrne,  who  died 
at  Lawrence,  Mass.,  U.S.A.,  in 
January  1884. 

Priests  since  1886. 
Rev.  Geo.  Richardson. 

„    Adolphus  Coelcubier,  1888. 

„    Martin  Meagher,  1899. 

„    James  Murray,  to  date. 


ASPULL,  near  WIGAN  (Salford). 
Our  Lady  of  the  Immaculate  Con 
ception. 

The  foundation-stone  of  the  church 
was  laid  March  19, 1857.  The  cere 
mony  took  place  in  the  presence  of 
about  one  thousand  persons,  mostly 
miners,  the  ground  being  cut  and 
prepared  by  a  body  of  Irish 
labourers  '  as  a  free-will  offering  to 
the  work.'  The  Bishop  of  Salford 
at  the  conclusion  of  the  function 
explained  to  the  assembled  multi 
tude  the  doctrine  of  the  Immacu 
late  Conception.  Fredk.  Gerard, 
Esq.,  brother  of  Sir  R.  Gerard, 
Bart.,  laid  the  second  stone.  The 
building  was  opened  April  25, 1858. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


59 


Priests. 

Rev.  Hy.  Jones,  1857. 
P.  O'Beilly. 
T.  Allen,  1874. 
Jos.  Crilly,  1882. 
H.  Schiirgers,  1889. 
Jn.  Welch,  1896  to  date. 


ASTLEY  BRIDGE,  BOLTON,  LAN 
CASHIRE  (Salford).  The  Holy 
Infant  and  St.  Anthony. 

The  chapel  was  opened  July  22, 
1877,  and  served  from  St.  Mary's, 
Bolton,  till  1882.  The  congregation 
is  now  estimated  at  1,000. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Maximilian  Jiittner,  1882. 

„    Pius  de  Witte,  1885. 

„    P.  M.  O'Beilly,  1888. 

„    John  Darby,  1893. 

„    A.    M.   Vantomme,   1894    to 
date. 


ASTON-LE-WALLS,  NORTHAMP 
TONSHIRE  (Northampton). 

Wm.  Plowden,  Esq.,  a  staunch 
Jacobite  and  supporter  of  James  II. 
at  the  Boyne,  settled  here  shortly 
after  the  Revolution.  He  rebuilt 
the  mansion  at  Aston-le-Walls,  but 
being  a  Catholic  soon  acquired  the 
resentment  of  his  Whig  neighbours. 
His  coach-horses  were  seized  by 
virtue  of  the  Act  against  Nonjurors, 
and  Mr.  Plowden  in  disgust  quitted 
the  neighbourhood.  The  hall  was 
pulled  down  with  the  exception  of 
one  wing,  which  was  turned  into  a 
farmhouse.  This  branch  of  the 
Plowdens  was  connected  by  mar 
riage  with  the  Butlers,  the  original 
owners  of  Aston-le-Walls.  One  of 
them  was  Chas.  Butler,  of  Lincoln's 
Inn  (1750-1832),  the  eminent  Con 
veyancer  and  Catholic  publicist.  It 
is  probable  that  a  chapel  was  main 
tained  here  during  the  eighteenth 


century  and  down  to  the  building 
of  the  present  chapel  in  1827.  No 
mention  is  made  of  the  mission  in 
the  '  Laity's  Directory  '  till  1833. 

Rev.  J.  Fox ;  J.  Perry,  1835. 

„    J.  B.  Marsh,  1850. 

„    Jn.  Duff,  1853. 
Rev.  Wm.  Canon  Hammond  here, 
1872,  and  till  1901. 

„    Harold  Squirrell,  to  date. 


ASTON,     near     STONE,    STAFFS 

(Birmingham).     St.  Michael. 

A  very  old  mission.  Aston  Hall 
was  for  centuries  the  seat  of  the 
ancient  Catholic  family  of  Heven- 
ingham.  The  last  male  repre 
sentative  wras  Sir  John  Hevening- 
ham,  whose  daughter  married  Sir 
James  Simeon,  Bart.,  of  Brightwell, 
and  their  only  daughter  married 
Humphrey  Weld,  Esq.,  of  Lulworth 
Castle.  In  1814  the  Franciscans 
opened  their  noviciate  at  Aston 
with  the  full  approval  of  Bishop 
Milner.  In  1826  it  was  decided 
not  to  take  any  more  novices  in 
England.  The  estate  subsequently 
passed  into  Protestant  hands,  but 
the  house  and  a  few  acres  were 
made  over  by  the  Welds  to  the 
V.A.  of  the  Midland  District  for  the 
purpose  of  continuing  the  mission. 
In  1842  the  Passionist  Fathers  com 
menced  a  foundation  at  Aston.  The 
chapel  was  still  in  the  large  room 
over  the  kitchen.  The  stone  of  the 
new  church  was  laid  May  21,  1847, 
by  Bishop  Walsh,  V.A.M.D.,  Bishop 
(afterwards  Cardinal)  Wiseman 
preaching  the  inaugural  sermon. 
The  Hon.  Fr.  Ignatius  Spencer  sang 
the  Mass.  The  Hon.  Miss  Lang- 
dale  presented  £100  to  the  building 
fund.  The  church  was  opened 
1849.  The  Passionists  gave  up 
the  mission  1854,  after  which  it 


60 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


was  served  from  Stone  for  some 
years.  During  the  rectorate  of 
Mgr.  E.  Hulme  (1840-42)  the  relics 
of  St.  Chad  were  discovered  be 
neath  the  altar  of  the  Aston  chapel. 
They  had  been  removed  from  Lich- 
field  Cathedral  at  the  time  of  the 
Eeformation  by  Prebendary  Arthur 
Dudley,  and,  after  being  preserved 
by  the  Fitzherberts  of  Swynnerton, 
were  sent  to  Aston  for  safety. 

Priests  since  1858. 
Rev.  Edward  Canon  Huddlestone. 

„    Stuart  Bathurst,  1877. 

(Mission   served  from  Stone, 
1881-98.) 

„    M.  Glancey,  1898. 

„    Jn.  Price,  1900. 


ATHERSTONE,  WARWICKSHIRE 

(Birmingham).      St.    Scholastica's 
Priory. 

The  Benedictine  nuns  of  St. 
Benedict's  Priory,  near  Colwich, 
took  over  the  premises  from  the 
Dominicans  and  opened  a  branch 
house  here  in  May  1859.  The 
nuns  are  strictly  enclosed,  have  no 
schools,  and  a  chief  feature  of  the 
spiritual  life  of  the  place  is  the 
perpetual  adoration  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament.  The  church  was  con 
secrated  by  Bishop  Ullathorne, 
September  4,  1861.  The  house 
and  chapel  were  commenced  No 
vember  4,  1837,  and  opened  as  a 
Dominican  Convent  in  September 
1889.  The  chapel,  which  measures 
58  ft.  by  23 £  ft.,  from  the  very  first 
proved  a  great  attraction,  and  was 
described  as  being  '  crowded  every 
Sunday  '  with  persons  mostly  pro- 
testants. 


ATHERTON,  LANCS  (Liverpool). 
St.  Eichard. 

The  mission  was  established  at 
Chowbent,  1890,  and  for  some  years 


served  from  Tyldesley.     It  became 
a  separate  mission  1895. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Andrew  Flynn,  1895. 

„    Jules  Maurus,  1899. 

,,    Geo.  Walmsley  1904,  to  date. 


AUGHTON,    ORMSKIRK,     LANCS 

(Liverpool).     St.  Mary. 

The  great  growth  of  Catholicity 
in  and  around  Aughton  led  to  the 
old  chapel  (1784)  being  fitted  up  as 
schools  (1850-51).  The  necessary 
alterations  and  extension  to  accom 
modate  upwards  of  1,000  children 
were  carried  out  by  Mr.  White, 
architect.  The  chapel  was  built 
1823,  before  which  time  Mass  was 
said  in  the  priest's  house.  Before 
1784  the  district  was  served  from 
Moor  Hall,  the  ancient  seat  of  the 
Stanleys. 

Priests. 

Eev.  Simeon     Bordley,    1784 ;     d. 
1798,  <zt.  90. 

Jas.  Dennett,  1798. 

Dr.  Crook,  1845. 

Edmund  Power,  1847. 

Peter  McGrath,  1869. 

Eobt.  Bridges,  1871. 

Alf.  Snow,  1878  to  date. 


AVON  BASSET,  WARWICKSHIRE 

(Birmingham).     St.  Joseph. 

Mass  was  said  here  for  the  first 
time  since  the  Eeformation  on 
May  10,  1852,  at  Bitham  House, 
the  residence  of  Thos.  Perry,  Esq. ; 
Fr.  Wm.  Tandy,  D.D.,  was  the 
celebrant,  about  fourteen  persons 
being  present.  The  church,  opened 
in  1855,  was  largely  due  to  the 
munificence  of  the  before-men 
tioned  Mr.  Perry  and  another  con- 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


61 


vert    gentleman    residing    in    the 
district. 

Priests, 
Eev.  W.  O'Grady,  1855. 

,,    Evan  Hunter,  1867. 

„    Walter  Norris,  1871  (?). 

„    Bernard  Pannier,  1877. 

„    Arthur  Doyle,  1892. 

„    Hugh  Taylor,  1896. 

„    Win.  Dobell,  1899  to  date. 


AXMINSTER,  DEVON  (Plymouth). 
St.  Mary. 

In  1763  Mass  was  said  at  Hilary 
House,  where  a  chapel  was  fitted 
up  by  John  Knight,  Esq.,  member  j 
of  the  ancient  Catholic  family  of  j 
Knight,  to  whom  Catholics  of  this 
place  are  much  indebted.  Mr. 
Knight  died  in  1801  at.  69,  and  in 
1830  his  son  Henry  built  the 
chapel  of  Our  Lady,  which  was 
opened  by  Bishop  Baines,V.A.W.D., 
August  15, 1831.  The  same  family 
of  Knight  built  the  present  fine 
church,  which  superseded  the  old 
chapel  in  May  1862.  The  style  is 
fourteenth  century  Gothic.  It  con 
tains  some  handsome  Stations  of  the 
Cross  painted  in  oil  by  M.  Alcan,  of 
Paris.  The  altar  and  pulpit  are  of 
Caen  stone.  A  memorial  tablet 
commemorates  Mr.  H.  Knight,  the 
founder  of  the  second  chapel,  who 
died  in  1858. 

Priests  since  1822. 
Bev.  Cornelius  Magrath,  1822. 

Eobt.  Platt,  1824. 

Eobt.  Gates,  1827. 

Henry  Eiley,  1828. 

Chas.  Fisher,  1834. 

Jn.  Swabrick,  1834. 

Henry  Norrington,  1837. 

Patrick  Kelly,  1849. 

H.  Keary,  1850. 

Thos.  Lynch,  1852. 


Eev.  Jn.  Canon  Toohey,  1856. 
„     Michael  O'Reilly,  1898  to  date. 


AYLESBURY,  BUCKS  (North- 
ampton). 

In  1843  Bishop  Wareing,  V.A., 
secured  a  room  for  Mass  at  Ayles- 
bury.  Before  that  time  the  nearest 
chapel  was  twenty  miles  distant. 
Now  and  then  a  priest  from  Oxford 
shire  would  go  over  to  Aylesbury 
to  administer  baptisms  and  attend 
to  sick  calls.  The  district  in  1844 
is  described  by  Fr.  Duncan,  the 
first  priest,  as  'furiously  anti- 
Catholic.'  After  taking  up  his 
abode  at  Ajiesbury,  Fr.  Duncan 
opened  a  chapel  in  his  house, 
and  on  a  subsequent  occasion  went 
to  Ireland  to  collect  funds  to  build 
a  church,  but  without  much  suc 
cess.  In  September  1844,  how 
ever,  he  took  a  larger  house  and 
fitted  up  a  poor,  but  more  commo 
dious,  chapel.  The  'altar'  was 
nothing  more  than  a  common  deal 
table.  Mass  was  only  said  on  Sun 
days  and  holy  days,  the  chapel  being 
used  during  the  week  as  the  priest's 
sitting-room !  Fr.  Duncan  died 
worn  out  with  labours  in  1846,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Fr.  J.  Brogan, 
who  does  not  seem  to  have  re 
mained  long.  Latterly  the  mission 
of  Aylesbury  figures  very  irregu 
larly  in  the  '  Catholic  Directory,' 
being  some  years  omitted  alto 
gether.  In  1880  it  was  served 
from  Weston  Underwood  every 
alternate  Tuesday.  In  1885  the 
priest  came  from  Wolverton  and 
said  Mass  011  the  first  Wednesday 
of  every  month  in  the  house  of 
Mr.  James  Eoche,  2  St.  Mary's 
Eow,  at  9.30  A.M.  In  1890  the 
temporary  chapel  was  at  33  Bi- 
cester  Eoad ;  Fr.  J.  Collins  rector. 
Fr.  J.  Mayne  was  his  successor. 


62 


B 


BACKWORTH,  NEWCASTLE-ON- 
TYNE  (Hexham  and  Newcastle). 
St.  Edmund,  Martyr. 

The  temporary  chapel  was  opened 
1883,  the  mission  till  recently  being 
served  from  Annitsford.  The  pre 
sent  church  in  the  Gothic  style  was 
opened  1903. 

Eector. 
Eev.  James  O'Dowd,  1902. 


BACUP,    LANGS     (Salford).      St. 
Mary,  Bankside. 

The    mission    was     commenced 
1852,  and  the  church  opened  1857. 

Priests. 
Kev.  Henry  Mulvany,  1852. 

„    Thos.  Steele,  1881. 

„    John  Lane,  1885. 

„    Wm.  Moran,  1904  to  date. 


BADDESLEY  CLINTON,  KNOWLE, 
WARWICKSHIRE  (Birmingham). 

The  Franciscan  School  of  Edg- 
baston  was  removed  here  by  Fr. 
Ingham  in  1792.  Fr.  Collingridge, 
afterwards  Bishop  of  Thespiae  in 
partibus  and  V.A.,  was  President 
from  1794-8.  The  school  was 
closed  in  1829,  and  now  the  house 
has  been  since  1850  the  convent  of 
the  Poor  Clares.  Baddesley  Clin 


ton  Hall  was  for  generations  the 
seat  of  the  Ferrers  family,  a  good 
old  Catholic  stock,  and  heirs  to  the 
barony  of  de  Ferrers.  The  last  of 
the  race  was  Edward  Marmion 
Ferrers,  who  died  August  25,  1884, 
aged  seventy.  The  old  chapel 
erected  by  the  Franciscans  in  1800 
was  rebuilt  in  1870,  but  not  conse 
crated  till  1894. 

Priests  since  1830. 
Kev.  Hy.  Davey,  1851. 

P.  O'Farrell. 

Barthol.  Crosbie,  1853. 

Hugh  McCarten,  1870. 

Joseph  Verres,  1879. 

Edw.  Delaney,  1882. 

Bernard  Grafton,  to  date. 


BAGSHOT,  SURREY  (Southward). 
Convent  of  the  Poor  Clares. 

The  community  opened  their 
convent  here  in  1904,  and  their 
chapel  for  the  time  being  serves  the 
mission,  which  is  attended  by  the 
chaplain. 


BAKEWELL,  DERBYSHIRE  (Bir 
mingham).  The  English  Martyrs. 

A  mission  was  opened  here 
Sunday,  December  23,  1888,  by 
Fr.  McKey,  of  Hassop,  when  Mass 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


63 


was  said  for  the  first  time  in  300 
years.  The  original  chapel  was  a 
stable-loft,  replaced  by  an  iron 
church  for  200  persons,  in  the 
Granby  Road  (February  1890). 
Fr.  J.  W.  Brown  was  first  resident 
priest.  The  mission  is  at  present 
served  from  Hassop  (1905). 


BAIHAM,  LONDON,  S.W.  (South- 
war  Jc).  The  Holy  Ghost. 

The  mission  was  started  in  1887, 
when  Mass  was  said  at  25  Ravens- 
wood  Road,  by  Fr.  J.  Simon.  The 
present  church  opened  April  17, 
1897.  It  is  a  plain  Gothic  building, 
and  is  still  unfinished.  The  Con 
vent  of  the  Adoration  Nuns  adjoins 
the  church.  Fr.  J.  V.  Warwick, 
B.D.,  some  time  professor  at  Lisbon, 
has  been  rector  since  1896.  The 
Catholic  population  of  the  district 
is  estimated  at  about  2,500. 


BANBURY,  OXON.  (Birmingham). 
St.  John's. 

In  1629  the  manor  of  Warkworth 
was  purchased  from  the  Chetwodes 
by  Philip  Holman,  a  London 
scrivener  (stockbroker),  whose  son 
George  became  a  Catholic.  This 
latter  is  described  by  Anthony 
Wood  as  '  a  melancholy  and 
bigoted  convert.'  The  last  of  the 
family  was  Wm.  Holman,  Esq., 
upon  whose  death  in  1740  the 
manor  of  Warkworth  devolved 
upon  his  nephew,  Francis  Eyre  of 
Hassop.  His  son,  Francis  Eyre, 
became  Earl  of  Newburgh  in  1814, 
in  succession  to  Anthony  James 
Radcliffe,  fourth  earl.  Earl  Rad- 
cliffe,  in  1806,  built  a  chapel  at 
Overthorp,  near  Banbury,  and  this 
continued  to  serve  the  mission  till 


the  opening  of  the  present  church 
in  1838.  The  style  is  Gothic,  and 
the  interior  lofty  and  spacious.  In 
1846  the  Sisters  of  Charity  opened 
a  convent  in  the  parish  on  the  site  of 
part  of  the  premises  of  the  Hospital 
of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem,  suppressed 
by  Henry  VIII. 
Priests  at  Banbury.  (Early  list 

incomplete.) 

Rev.  John  Gother,  1689.  This 
priest  was  the  eminent 
author  of  the  '  Papist  Mis 
represented  and  Presented,' 
&c. 

„    Alban   Butler,  1749.     Author 

ofjthe  '  Lives  of  the  Saints  ' 

etc.      Died     President    of 

Douai,  1774. 

„    Charles     Bedingfeld,    O.S.F., 

1756. 

Bernard  Stafford,  1761. 
Pierre  Hersent  1793. 
Joseph  Fox,  1833. 
Wm.  Canon  Tandy,  D.D.,  1835. 
J.  H.  Souter,  1864. 
C.  J.  Bowen,  1873  to  date. 
N.B.  Bishop  Challoner,  V.A.L.D., 
was,  as   a    boy,  converted   to   the 
faith  at  Warkworth,  and  received 
his  early  instruction  from  the  Rev. 
J.   Gother   prior   to   proceeding  to 
Douai.    He  was  consecrated  Bishop 
of  Debra  in  1741,  and  died  1781, 
aged  ninety  years. 


BARKING,  ESSEX  (Westminster}. 
SS.  Mary  and  Ethelburga. 

The  mission  of  Barking  was 
started  in  1857,  but  the  chapel  was 
only  a  school  room,  and  the  priest 
for  several  years  had  to  reserve  the 
Blessed  Sacrament  in  his  house. 
He  was  also  obliged  to  say  a  second 
Mass  at  Grays,  fourteen  miles  dis 
tant,  every  Sunday.  The  temporary 
place  of  worship  continued  till  1869, 
when  the  present  church  was  erected 
during  the  rectorate  of  Fr.  J. 


64 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC    MISSIONS 


Gilligan,  and  on  a  site  granted  by 
Lord  Petre.  The  schools,  opened 
1857,  had  an  average  attendance  of 
300  in  1900.  At  the  opening  of  the 
church  in  August  1869,  Archbishop 
Manning  preached.  The  size  of 
the  building  is  60  ft.  by  30  ft.  E.  W. 
Pugin,  architect.  The  Catholic 
population  of  the  district  was 
reckoned  at  1800  in  1905.  About 
430  children  are  on  the  registers  of 
the  schools,  which,  although  re 
cently  enlarged,  are  said  to  be 
insufficient  'to  accommodate  the 
pupils  in  attendance.' 
Priests. 
Eev.  J.  Gilligan,  1857  till  1887. 

„    David  Hickey  here  in  1888. 

„    A.  Clement,  1895  to  date. 


BARNARD       CASTLE,     DURHAM 

(Hcxham    and     Newcastle}.       St. 
Mary. 

The  Catholics  of  Barnard  Castle 
numbered  200  in  1847,  at  which 
time  the  nearest  chapel  was  at 
Lartington  Hall,  the  ancient  seat 
of  the  Witham  family.  This  latter 
was  scarcely  able  to  contain  fifty  per 
sons.  In  January  1847  '  a  public 
building  ' — probably  a  room  in  the 
town  hall — was  hired  and  used  as  a 
chapel  on  Sundays.  In  March  of 
the  same  year  a  chapel  was  opened 
and  consecrated  by  Bishop  Eiddell 
(March  31  and  April  1).  Fr.  W. 
Allen,  of  Ushaw,  was  appointed  to 
the  mission.  In  December  1849 
a  fine  painting  of  the  Crucifixion, 
copied  from  the  original  by  Le 
Brim,  at  Lartington  Hall,  was 
placed  over  the  altar.  The  sanctuary 
of  the  church  was  adorned  and 
new  and  commodious  schools  com 
menced,  December  1867.  The  cost 
of  the  latter  was  defrayed  by  0. 
Longstaff,  Esq. 


Priests. 

Eev.  W.  Allen,  1847. 

Geo.  Meynell,  1857. 

John  Dunderdale,  1861. 

Eobt.  Franklin,  1871. 

Wm.  Gillow,  1873. 

E.  J.  Barnett,  1877. 

James  Shea,  1879. 

Bernard  Darley,  1904  to  date. 


BARNET,  HERTS.  Mary  Im 
maculate  and  St.  Gregory  the 
Great,  Union  Street. 

This  locality  was  described  nearly 
fifty  years  ago  as  '  one  of  the  most 
bigoted  places  near  London.'  The 
mission  dates  from  April  24,  1849, 
when  Fr.  Ivers,  of  Kentish  Town, 
fitted  up  a  small  room  as  a  chapel. 
Mass  was  said  for  the  first  time  on 
Sunday,  April  29,  about  forty  per 
sons  being  present.  Fr.  Faa  di 
Bruno  was  appointed  priest,  and 
under  his  auspices  the  school  was 
opened  for  the  benefit  of  the  many 
Catholic  children  in  the  district. 
Mass  was  said  in  the  schoolroom 
on  Sundays.  Fr.  di  Bruno  being 
summoned  to  the  Continent  to 
make  collections  for  Church  work 
in  England,  his  place  was  taken  by 
a  priest  from  Tottenham,  who, how 
ever,  did  not  remain  long.  Fr.  Bruno, 
being  delayed  by  the  Franco- Aus 
trian  war  of  1859,  did  not  return 
for  many  months,  and  meanwhile 
the  mission  was  practically  closed. 
In  June  I860,  Fr.  G.  Bampfield, 
B.A;,  served  the  chapel,  and  also 
that  of  Waltham  Cross  (q.v.},  and 
in  December  of  the  same  year 
Cardinal  Wiseman  confirmed  about 
thirty  candidates  from  the  two  mis 
sions.  The  estimated  Catholic  popu 
lation  in  1864  was  200.  A  new  Lady 
Chapel  was  added  to  the  church  in 
1877,  and  the  interior  of  the  build 
ing  entirely  redecorated.  Fr.  Bamp 
field  died  January  20,  1900,  and 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


65 


was  succeeded  by  Fr.  Francis  Spink, 
the  present  rector.  The  mission  is 
in  charge  of  the  Institute  of  St. 
Andrew,  a  community  of  secular 
priests  living  under  rule,  founded 
by  Fr.  Bampfield.  Large  schools 
for  '  boys  of  the  middle  and  poorer 
classes '  were  commenced  in  June 
1868,  and  at  present  have  about 
seventy  pupils.  In  addition  to  the 
Barnet  mission,  the  Fathers  also 
serve  the  neighbouring  districts  of 
Bushey,  New  Barnet,  &c. 


BARNOLDSWICK,  YORKS  (Leeds). 
St.  Joseph. 

At  Easter  1897  Fr.  H.  Marchal, 
chaplain  at  Broughton  Hall,  the 
residence  of  the  Tempest  family, 
started  the  mission,  and  in  1901  lie 
bought  an  old  school  for  £380, 
which  he  had  altered  for  a  chapel. 
In  1906  a  site  for  a  church  was 
secured  in  the  Gisburn  Road,  at  a 
cost  of  £636,  and  an  iron  building 
erected.  The  accommodation  is 
for  about  200.  In  1897  the  Catholic 
population  of  the  district  was  about 
sixty,  but  it  has  since  increased  to 
over  350.  The  new  church  was 
opened  Sunday,  September  9,  1906. 


BARNSLEY,  WEST  RIDING,  YORKS 

(Leeds).    Holy  Cross. 

The  chapel  was  opened  June  7, 
1832,  Fr.  Tate  of  Sheffield,  preach 
ing  at  the  High  Mass  to  a  large 
mixed  congregation.  The  schools 
were  erected  in  1858,  the  stone 
being  laid  by  J.  Lock,  Esq.,  M.P., 
a  noted  railway  engineer. 

Priests. 
Rev.  J.  Rigby,  1832. 

„    H.  Cook,  1840. 

,,    Theophilus       Cauwenberghe, 
D.D.,  1876. 

,    Jn.  Hill,  1895  to  date. 


BARNSTAPLE,  DEVON  (Ply. 
mouth).  The  Immaculate  Con 
ception. 

In  July  1827  a  chapel  was  fitted 
up  in  the  mansion  of  Tawstock  by 
Sir  Bourchier  Wrey,  Bart.,  who  had 
married  a  Catholic  lady.  The  same 
generous  benefactor  also  erected  a 
poor  school.  Bishop  Baines,  V.A., 
confirmed  twenty  persons  in  the 
chapel,  August  26,  1832.  In  1843 
Sir  Bourchier  purchased  from  Chas. 
Roberts,  Esq.,  a  site  for  church  and 
presbytery.  The  present  handsome 
place  of  worship  was  consecrated  by 
Archbishop  Errington  and  Bishop 
Vaughan,  October  24,  1855.  Sir  B. 
Wrey  was  received  into  the  Church 
at  Dover,  September  15,  1856.  The 
registers  of  the  Barnstaple  mission 
date  from  1836. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Peter  Hartley,  1827. 

„    Wm.  O'Meara,  1829. 

„    Jn.  \Villiams,  1831. 

,,    Maurice  O'Connor,  1833. 

„    L.  Calderbank,  1835. 

„    M.  Crowe,  D.D.,  1835. 

„    Thos.  Costello,  1837. 

„    Jos.  Dwyer,  1837. 

„    Jn.  Larkan,  1837. 

„    Wm.  Casey,  1839. 

„    Patrick  Kelly,  1840. 

„    Thos.  Fergusson,  D.D.,  1844 

,,    Jn.  Lynch,  1846. 

,,    Jos.  Kerrin,  1849. 

„    Ralph  Canon  Brindle,  1850. 

„    Wm.  Musworth,  1890. 

„    James  S.  Burns,  1893. 

„    Wm.  Unsworth,  1903  to  date. 


BARROW  -  IN  -  FURNESS,  LANCS 

(Liverpool).  St.  Mary. 

In  1865  the  Catholic  population 
of  the  district  amounted  to  about  one 
thousand.  The  nearest  chapel  was  at 

F 


66 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Ulvcrstone,  ten  miles  distant.  Fr. 
Bilsborrow,  afterwards  Bishop  of 
Salford,  used  to  come  over  from 
time  to  time  to  attend  sick  calls, 
administer  baptisms,  &c.  A  site 
for  a  church  having  been  generously 
granted  by  the  Duke  of  Devonshire, 
the  present  building  was  erected, 
and  opened  Aug.  28,  1867.  E.  W. 
Pugin  was  the  architect,  the  seating 
capacity  being  for  700.  A  tower  and 
spire  were  added  1891,  and  in  1894 
the  church  was  enlarged  and  redeco 
rated.  The  Sacred  Heart  Convent 
was  opened  in  Furness  House, 
October  1897.  In  1903  the  esti 
mated  Catholic  population  of  the 
mission  was  3,489.  St.  Patrick's 
School  Chapel,  Barrow  Island, 
opened  1877  and  enlarged  1885, 
is  served  from  St.  Mary's. 

Priests. 
Eev.  John  Bilsborrow,  1866. 

„    James  Parkinson,  1874. 

.,    Wm.  Gordon,  1877. 

„    Edward  Caffrey,  1879. 

„    John  Miller,  1899  to  date. 


BARROW-ON-SOAR,  LEICESTER 
SHIRE  (Nottingham).  St.  Alban. 

Some  time  prior  to  1839  Fr. 
"Woolfrey  gave  lectures  on  Catholic 
doctrine  at  Barrow  in  reply  to  'a 
flood  of  anti-Catholic  tracts  '  scat 
tered  broadcast  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Gwatkin,  a  protestant  minister. 
The  lectures  were  well  attended, 
and  many  persons  were  received 
into  the  Church.  In  March  1839 
the  present  chapel,  a  neat  structure 
in  the  Grecian  style,  was  opened 
for  worship.  The  cost  was  defrayed 
by  the  contractors  of  the  Eastern 
Counties  Railway.  The  mission, 
which  was  long  served  from  Lough- 
borough,  is  now  served  from  Sileby. 


BARTESTREE,  HEREFORDSHIRE 

(Newport}. 

The  Sisters  of  Our  Lady  of  Charity 
of  Refuge,  a  congregation  founded 
by  theVen.  John  Eudes,  of  Caen,  in 
1641,  opened  their  convent  here  in 
1863.  Robt.  Biddulph  Phillips, 
Esq.,  was  a  great  benefactor  to  the 
foundation.  The  work  of  the  nuns 
is  '  the  reformation  of  young  women 
and  preservation  of  girls  in  danger 
of  falling.'  The  chapel  is  open  to 
the  public. 


BARTON-ON-HUMBER,  LINCOLN 
SHIRE  (Nottingham}.  St.  Augus 
tine  Apostle  of  England. 

The  mission  was  established  in 
1841-42,  being  served  alternately 
from  Brigg  by  the  priest  of  that 
place.  The  mission,  which  has  been 
an  independent  one  since  about 
1843,  is  served  by  Benedictines.  It 
owes  its  origin  to  a  convert  gentle 
man  and  a  Mr.  Aistrip  of  Hull. 

Priests. 
Rev.  J.  Egan  (of  Brigg),  1841. 

Jn.  Taylor,  1844. 

P.  Perry,  1845. 

S.  Ward,  1848. 

Geo.  Burge,  1850. 

J.  Bernard  Murphy,  1890. 

Ralph  Pearson,  1892. 

J.  B.  Davey,  1893. 

Robt.  Fishwick,  1894. 

Joseph  Watmore,  1895. 

Thos.  Feeny,  1899. 

Joseph  Flanagan,  1900  to  date. 


BARTON  -  ON  -  IRWELL,  MAN 
CHESTER  (Salford).  All  Saints. 

The  nucleus  of  this  mission  was 
the  domestic  chapel  of  the  Tratford 
family.  A  school  was  built  here  in 
1822  by  Fr.  Thomas  Sadler,  who 
in  1827  erected  a  public  chapel  at 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


67 


Barton.  The  mission  was  served 
in  conjunction  with  the  chapel  at 
Trafford  Park.  The  chapel  of  1827 
quickly  became  too  small  for  the 
congregation,  and  many  years  later 
was  described  as  '  a  wretched  gar 
ret.'  The  present  fine  Gothic  church 
— the  gift  of  the  Trafford  family, 
the  traditional  patrons  of  the  mis 
sion — was  consecrated  by  Bishop 
Turner  of  Salford,  June  9,  1868. 
At  that  time  the  congregation  num 
bered  1,600.  The  cost  of  erection 
was  £15,000. 

Priests. 
Kev.  James  Haydock,  1792. 

Thomas  Sadler,  1808. 

Henry  Newsham,  1830. 

John  Ball,  1834. 

Joseph  Westhead,  1840. 

John  Hill,  1843. 

Mgr.    John  Canon  "Kershaw, 
1844. 

James    Canon   Hayes,   M.R., 
1890. 

Monsignor     Charles      Canon 
Gadd,  V.G.,  1901  to  date. 


BASINGSTOKE,  HANTS  (Ports 
mouth).  The  Holy  Ghost. 

Mass  was  said  here  once  a  month 
by  a  priest  from  Woolhampton, 
1869.  Canon  Crookhall,  of  the 
latter  place,  and  Mr.  Riviere  are 
regarded  as  the  two  chief  founders 
of  the  mission.  By  dint  of  great 
exertions,  Fr.  C.  Paul  erected 
the  present  small  church  (1878). 
Bishop  Vertue,  of  Portsmouth, 
confirmed  here  for  the  first 
time,  December  12,  1883.  Fr.  Val 
d'Eremao,  the  distinguished  Orien 
tal  scholar,  author  of  the  '  Serpent 
of  Eden '  &c.,  was  priest  of  the 
mission  in  1884.  The  present  rec 
tor  is  the  Rev.  A.  S.  Scoles.1 

1  The  Marquis  of  Winchester,  who 
held  Basing  House  for  Charles  I.  against 
the  forces  of  the  Parliament  (1643-45), 


BATH,  SOMERSET  (Clifton). 
Benedictines.  St.  John  the  Evan 
gelist. 

King  James  II.  visited  Bath  in 
1687  and  while  there  attended 
Mass  in  the  chapel  served  by  Fr. 
Anselm  Williams,  O.S.B.  This 
oratory  was  in  Beltre  House 
rented  from  the  Corporation  at 
£8  a  year.  The  priests  after  this 
were :  Fr.  Bernard  Quinn,  1713  ; 
F.  W.  Banester,  1726;  Francis 
Browning  or  Bruning  and  Dr. 
Lawrence  York,  1730.  Dr.  York 
was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Niba  in 
partibus  and  created  V.A.  of  the 
Western  district  1741.  During  the 
rebellion  of  1745,  an  attempt  was 
made  to  get  his  Lordship  into 
trouble  by  means  of  a  forged  letter 
purporting  to  have  come  from 
Prince  Charles  Edward  Stuart.  The 
Mayor  of  Bath,  who  was  his  friend, 
called  on  him  privately  and  advised 
him  to  withdraw  for  a  time,  which 
he  did.  Fr.  Bernard  Bradshaw, 
O.S.B. ,  acted  as  Vicar-General  dur 
ing  the  Bishop's  absence.  Bishop 
York  ultimately  retired,  worn  out 
with  labours,  to  St.  Gregory's  Col 
lege,  Douai,  where  he  died  April 
14,  1770.  Fr.  Bradshaw  had  al 
ready  given  up  missionary  work  in 
1757.  His  successor,  Fr.  Placid 
Naylor,  died  at  Paris,  1793,  during 
the  Revolution.  Fr.  John  Bede 
Brewer,  D.D.  who  came  to  Bath 
in  1776,  built  a  chapel  in  St.  James 
Parade.  Barely  had  it  been 
opened  when  it  was  burnt  by  a 
'  No  Popery '  mob  desirous  of 
emulating  the  Lord  Geo.  Gordon 
Rioters  in  London  (June  9,  1780). 
Bishop  Walmesley's  splendid 
library  perished  in  the  flames,  but 
his  Lordship  and  the  Catholics 

was  a  devout  Catholic,  and  patron  of 
several  missionary  priests.  The  Basing- 
stoke  Canal  now  crosses  the  site  of  the 
historic  mansion. 

F2 


68 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


obtained  compensation  to  the  value 
of  £3,734  19s.  Gd.  The  Bene 
dictine  Fathers  then  built  another 
chapel  in  Corn  Street.1 

Fr.  Baines,  afterwards  Bishop, 
in  1817  opened  another  chapel  in 
Pierrepont  Street,  which  was  numer 
ously  attended.  This  second  was 
known  as  Portland  Chapel,  and 
before  its  acquisition  by  Fr. 
Baines  had  been  a  dissenting  place 
of  worship.  Catholicity  in  Bath 
made  great  strides  after  1840. 
Commenting  on  this  the  Bath 
and  Cheltenham  Gazette  for  Janu 
ary  1849  said  :  '  The  Mission 
ary  Chapel  at  Brunswick  Place, 
under  the  spiritual  charge  of  the 
V.  Rev.  Dr.  Bewe,  has  become  a 
place  of  great  resort  to  the  Protes 
tants  of  Bath,  notwithstanding  the 
strong  Puritanical  spirit  there.  A 
great  number  of  conversions  have 
been  the  result  of  his  untiring 
exertions.'  Among  these  latter 
were  Sir  T.  Broadhead,  Bart.,  and 
the  Hon.  John  Sanderson,  some 
time  Chief  Justice  and  President  of 
the  Privy  Council  of  the  Isle  of 
Grenada.  He  died  at  2  Nelson 
Place,  near  Bath,  January  10,  1849, 
aged  eighty-one  years. 

The  time  having  arrived  for  a 
really  fine  Catholic  church  to 
take  the  place  of  the  conventicle- 
like  buildings  of  less  happy  times, 
the  stone  of  the  present  church  in 
the  South  Parade  was  laid  Octo 
ber  2,  1862.  The  opening  and  con- 

1  A  tradition  at  Bath  relates  that  on 
the  first  night  of  the  anti-Catholic  riots 
of  1780  a  constable  went  to  one  of  the 
local  magistrates  and  breathlessly  ex 
claimed  :  Pleaze,  your  worship,  the  mob 
ha'  set  the  Cath'lic  chappel  a'  vire  (sic). 
What  shall  us  do  ? '  'Do!'  was  the 
reply, '  why,  if  it  had  happened  yesterday 
while  we  wer'  a  zitten  (sic)  I'd  a  told  ee 
— but  as  tiz,'  he  added,  scratching  his 
heal,  Til  caal  (sic)  a  Haal  (sic)  o' 
Mundee  ! ' 


secration  by  Bishop  Clifford,  of 
Clifton,  took  place  a  year  later,  on 
October  7,  1863.  This  fine  Gothic 
pile  is  of  Bath  stone  and  of  com 
modious  proportions.  Mr.  C. 
Hansom,  of  Bath,  was  the  architect. 
Beneath  the  high  altar,  which  is  of 
marble  supported  by  six  columns  of 
the  same  material,  is  a  handsome 
shrine  containing  the  corpo  santo 
or  body  of  St.  Justina,  presented  to 
the  Church  by  Prince  Doria  of 
Rome,  son-in-law  of  the  Earl  of 
Shrewsbury.  The  fine  spire  of  the 
building  (222  ft.)  was  completed  in 
September  1867. 


BATH  (Clifton).  St.  Mary's, 
Julian  Eoad. 

The  first  stone  was  laid  by  Arch 
bishop  Errington,  June  24,  1879, 
and  the  building  was  opened  May  3, 
1881,  by  Cardinal  Manning,  who 
preached  on  Luke  xvi.  8,  with 
reference  to  the  Bradlaugh  agita 
tion  against  official  oaths  and  de 
clarations.  The  style  is  Early 
Decorated  from  designs  by  Dunn 
and  Hansom,  the  seating  capacity 
being  for  400. 

Priests. 

Rev.    Francis     Canon    Loughnan, 
1879. 

„      Arnold  Matthews,  M.R.  1888. 

„      Michael  McCarthy,  1889. 

„      Edward      Bates      1891     to 
date. 


BATLEY,  YORKS  (Leeds).  St. 
Mary  and  the  Angels. 

A  dirty  room  over  a  '  rag  ware 
house  '  was  the  first '  chapel '  of  this 
mission  in  1854.  For  this  '  horrid 
and  disgusting  room,'  as  the  pastor, 
Fr.  T.  O'Connell,  called  it,  a  rent- 
age  of  £12  per  annum  was  charged. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


The  number  of  Catholics  living  at 
Batley  was  then  about  600,  which 
in  five  years  increased  to  1,000.  In 
1859  the  Earl  of  Wilton  generously 
presented  a  site  for  a  school  chapel, 
valued  at  about  £200.  In  March 
1859  'the  first  social  gathering  of 
Catholics  and  Protestants  since  the 
Eeforination '  was  held  at  Batley, 
and  a  collection  made  for  the 
schools.  The  'chapel,'  however, 
remained  but  '  a  horrid  garret '  till 
December  15,  1870,  when  the 
church  was  opened.  The  style  is 
thirteenth  century.  The  accom 
modation  is  for  G50.  The  cost  of 
building  was  £2,374.  The  Catholic 
population  of  Batley  in  1870  was 
about  3,500.  Archbishop  Manning 
preached  at  the  opening  on  Luke  i. 
28.  A  new  sanctuary  and  wing 
were  added  to  the  church  in  October 
1884.  New  schools  for  GOO  children 
were  opened  in  1897  at  a  cost  of 
£4,000.  The  mission  is  much  in 
debted  to  the  Colbeck  family  for 
several  generous  benefactions. 

Priests. 

Eev.  T.  O'Connell,  1853. 
„    J.  Wells,  1855. 

Patrick  Lynch,  1860. 

Thos.  Eigby,  1870. 

Wra.  Gordon,  1873. 

Chas.  Gordon,  1879. 

James  Canon  Gordon,  1898. 

John  Lea,  1902  to  date. 


BATTERSEA,  EAST,  LONDON,  S.W. 
(Southward).  Our  Lady  of  Mount 
Carmel  and  St.  Joseph. 

The  mission  was  founded  in  1868 
by  the  late  Canon  Drink  water.  A 
small  church  —  now  the  Lady 
Chapel — was  opened  November  22, 
1869  ;  the  rest  of  the  building 
(Gothic)  in  1875.  The  high  altar, 
said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  in  Lon 
don,  was  presented  by  the  late  Sir 


John  Stuart  Knill,  Bart.     Schools 

!    were   erected    1871,   and    enlarged 

subsequently  at   a   cost  of    1,3002. 

i    The  interior  of  the  church  was  re- 

I    decorated  1904.     A  notable  feature 

i    of    the    church   is   the    handsome 

pulpit,  put  up  some  twenty  years 

|    ago  in  memory  of  the  founder  of 

the  mission. 

Priests. 

1    Eev.  T.  Canon  Drinkwater,  1868. 
„    W.  J.  Connolly,  1881. 
„    Albert  Whereat,  D.D.,  1894. 
,,    Joseph  Newton,  1903  to  date. 


BATTERSEA,       LONDON,       S.W. 

(Southward).     The  Sacred  Heart. 

Just  before  his  death,  Don  Bosco, 
!  founder  of  the  Salesian  Congre- 
,  gation,  arranged  for  a  settlement 
j  of  his  Institute  in  England.  In 
|  November  1887,  some  Fathers  and 
Brothers  came  to  London  and  were 
given  charge  of  the  Trott  Street 
Mission,  Battersea,  by  Bishop  Butt, 
of  Southwark.  A  small  iron  church 
at  first  sufficed,  but  in  a  short  time 
the  growth  of  the  congregation 
demanded  a  larger  building.  On 
August  3, 1892,  Bishop  Butt  blessed 
the  first  stone  of  the  present  church, 
which  was  opened  on  October  14-15, 
!  1893.  The  High  Mass  was  sung  by 
Archbishop  Cagliero,  of  Magida, 
Er.  P.  Fletcher  preaching  in  the 
morning  and  Canon  G.  Akers  in 
the  evening.  In  style  the  church 
is  thirteenth  century  Eomanesque, 
from  design  of  Mr.  F.  A.  Walters, 
and  is  an  imitation  of  the  church 
of  St.  John  at  Turin.  The  splendid 
high  altar  was  presented  by  the 
late  Madame  Whiting.  The  strik 
ing  scheme  of  decoration  of  the 
interior  is  the  work  of  Fr.  G. 
Fayers,  S.C.,  and  other  members 
of  the  Salesian  Congregation.  The 
schools  (primary)  attached  to  the 


70 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


church  were  erected  1890,  and  now 
accommodate  some  five  hundred 
children.  In  1895  Surrey  Lodge,  in 
Surrey  Lane,  by  Orbel  Street,  a  large 
roomy  mansion,  was  purchased  for 
a  boys'  secondary  school,  which  is 
now  in  a  highly  flourishing  condi 
tion.  New  dormitories  and  class 
rooms  were  added  in  1898  and 
1901-2.  One  section  of  the  school 
is  devoted  to  the  teaching  of  arts 
and  crafts. 

Superiors. 
Rev.  Edward  McKiernan,  1887. 

„    C.  B.  Macey,  1889,  Provincial 
C.S.,  1903. 

„    E.  Rabagliati,  1908  to  date. 


BATTLE,  SUSSEX  (SouthwwrJc). 
Our  Lady  Immaculate  and  St. 
Michael. 

The  abbey  was  erected  by  Wil 
liam  the  Conqueror  10G7,  on  the 
spot  where  Harold  fell,  and  was 
dedicated  to  a  soldier-saint,  St. 
Martin  of  Tours.  At  the  time  of 
the  dissolution,  the  abbey,  one  of 
the  wealthiest  in  the  land,  was 
granted  by  Henry  VIII.  to  his 
favourite,  Sir  Anthony  Browne,  first 
Lord  Montague.  This  family  re 
mained  Catholic  down  to  the  time 
of  the  seventh  Viscount  (1728-87), 
who,  however,  was  reconciled  to  the 
Church  on  his  death-bed,  when  he 
publicly  declared  '  that  nothing  but 
libertinism  in  theory  and  practice 
had  induced  him  to  abandon  the 
faith  of  his  fathers.'  A  local  tradi 
tion  narrates  that  after  the  rise  of 
the  Reformation,  Catholics  of  Battle 
used  occasionally  to  assemble  by  a 
well  near  the  ruined  abbey  to  recite 
the  rosary  and  hear  instructions 
from  disguised  priests.  Fr.  Thomas 
Pilcher,  or  Pilchard,  who  was  mar 


tyred  for  the  faith  at  Dorchester, 
March  21,  1587,  was  a  native  of 
Battle.  Mass  was  not  said  in  the 
district  for  the  next  300  years. 
In  1882  Bertram,  fifth  Earl  of 
Ashburnham,  built  the  present 
church  for  the  few  Catholics  of  the 
locality,  at  that  time  estimated 
at  about  twenty.  The  fine  presby 
tery  was  erected  by  his  lordship  in 
1902,  on  a  site  obtained  from  the 
Duchess  of  Cleveland.  It  may  be 
of  interest  to  note  that  Reginald 
de  Hesseburnham,  ancestor  of  the 
present  earl,  gave  lands  to  the 
Church  at  Battle  in  the  eleventh 
century. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Michael  Gorman,  1882. 

Charles  Kimpe,  1893. 

Thomas  Mahon,  1899. 

Ernest  Blackborrow. 

Enea  Tozzi. 

J.  Wilhelm,  D.D.,  1900  to  date. 


BAYLIS  HOUSE,  SLOUGH,  BUCKS. 

In  1823  Mr.  Wm.  Henry  Butt, 
a  convert  Catholic  gentleman, 
descended  from  an  old  family  in 
Gloucestershire,  opened  '  a  classical 
academy  '  at  Spring  Terrace,  Rich 
mond,  Surrey.  In  1828  he  removed 
it  to  its  present  site — Baylis  House, 
Salt  Hill,  near  Windsor.  For  nearly 
ninety  years  this  excellent  private 
school  has  remained  under  the 
tuition  of  various  members  of  the 
Butt  family,  and  it  still  preserves 
an  undiminished  reputation.  The 
chaplain  at  this  time  was  the  Rev. 
J.  Wilkinson,  of  Clewer.  The  pre 
sent  chaplain,  who  has  also  charge 
of  the  mission  which  the  domestic 
chapel  serves,  is  Fr.  Ravmond Colin, 
O.P. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


71 


BAYSWATER,  LONDON,  W.  ( West 
minster).  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels, 
Westmoreland  Road. 

The  church  was  commenced  in 
1850,  but,  for  want  of  funds,  not 
completed  till  1857,  when  it  was 
opened  by  Cardinal  Wiseman 
(July  2).  A  south  aisle  and  Lady 
chapel,  designed  by  J.  Bentley, 
were  added  later.  The  style  of  the 
building  is  Gothic.  Dr.  Manning 
was  rector  till  1865,  when  he  suc 
ceeded  Cardinal  Wiseman.  The 
Oblates  of  St.  Charles  have  had 
charge  of  the  mission  since  the 
commencement.  A  splendid  east 
window  was  presented  to  the  chapel 
of  St.  Charles  in  1889  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  J.  O'Grady.  Among  the 
valuable  relics  preserved  by  the 
community  are  a  large  green 
chasuble,  '  constantly  used  by  St, 
Charles,'  and  a  valuable  crystal 
sixteenth  century  reliquary  of  Italian 
or  Spanish  workmanship,  contain 
ing  a  relic  of  their  holy  patron. 


BEAUMONT  COLLEGE,  OLD 
WINDSOR  (Portsmouth).  St.  Stan 
islaus. 

Beaumont  or  Bowmans  Lodge, 
near  the  confines  of  Windsor  Great 
Park,  was  formerly  the  residence  of 
William  Duke  of  Cumberland,  of 
Culloden  notoriety,  and  Warren 
Hastings.  In  1854  it  became  the 
noviciate  of  the  Society  of  Jesus, 
and  in  1860  was  opened  as  a  col 
legiate  school  for  the  sons  of  the 
upper  and  middle  classes.  The 
course  of  studies  was  completely 
reorganised  in  1903,  and  the  estab 
lishment  has  been  lately  officially 
recognised,  in  connection  with  pre 
paratory  military  and  naval  studies. 
The  junior  school  was  completed 
in  1887. 


Rectors  (S.J.). 
Rev.  James  Eccles. 
„    Thos.  Welsby. 
„    Francis  Cassidy,  1876. 
„    Fredk.  O'Hare,  1885. 
„    Wm.  Heathcote,  1892. 
„    Jn.  Lynch,  1895. 
„    Gerald  Tarleton,  1897. 
,,    J.  Bampton,  to  date. 


BECCLES,  SUFFOLK  (Northamp 
ton).  St.  Benet's  Minster. 

The  mission  was  established  from 
Bungay,  1888.  A  portion  of  the 
church  was  built  1889.  The  style 
is  transitional  Norman,  consisting 
of  nave,  two  side  aisles,  and  chapels 
of  Our  Lady  and  St.  Joseph.  A 
tower  is  in  course  of  construction. 
The  interior  is  very  ornate,  the 
high  altar  of  stone  and  marble  being 
especially  noteworthy.  Fredk. 
Smith,  Esq.,  of  Bungay,  bequeathed 
a  sum  sufficient  for  completing  the 
church  and  adding  the  tower.  The 
congregation — said  to  be  mostly 
converts  —  numbers  about  three 
hundred. 

Priests  (O.S.B.). 
Rev.  Hugh  Ford,  1889. 

„    F.  M.  Fulton,  1895  to  date. 

N.B.— The  Corpus  Christi  Guild, 
established  in  the  mission,  is  a  re 
vival  of  the  celebrated  guild  founded 
here  in  1354.  Like  the  other 
English  guilds,  numbering  some 
30,000,  it  was  confiscated  under 
Edward,  VI.  One  of  the  rules  of 
the  guild  enacted,  '  That  the  body 
of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be 
honoured  with  all  possible  reve 
rence,  that  it  be  placed  in  a  gilt 
cup  and  be  carried  on  a  decorated 
feretory,  accompanied  by  four  priests 
in  procession  on  Corpus  Christi 
Day,'  &c. — See  Downside  Review, 
July  1895,  p.  228. 


72 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


BECKENHAM,  KENT  (South- 
wark).  The  Transfiguration  and 
St.  Benedict. 

The  mission  was  commenced  by 
Fr.  W.  Kirwan  1891,  but  does  not 
figure  in  the  '  Catholic  Directory  ' 
till  1893.  The  cruciform  church 
was  commenced  in  October  1895 
and  opened  by  Bishop  Butt  1896. 
Fr.  Thomas  Bullivant,  D.D.,  a  dis 
tinguished  priest  and  convert,  was 
a  frequent  worshipper  here  after 
his  reception  into  the  Church.  He 
died  at  Eome,  August  18, 1901. 

Priests. 
Rev.  W.  Kirwan,  1891. 

„    W.  Alton,  1902. 

,    W.  Kilmartin,  1903. 


BEDFORD  (Northampton}.    Holy 
Child  Jesus  and  St.  Joseph. 

The  first  Mass  said  at  Bedford  in 
recent  times  was  on  Christmas  Day 
1863,  when   Fr.  John,  afterwards 
Canon  Warmoll,  started  a  mission 
in  the  town.     The  chapel  on  this 
occasion    was    '  a    crowded    room 
eleven   feet   square.'     The  bigotry 
against  Catholics  in   Bedford  was 
then  so  great,  that  when,  on  March 
27,  1865,  Fr.  Warmoll  attended  the 
cemetery  to  bury  one  of  the  con 
gregation,    a    hostile    crowd    sur 
rounded  the  grave  and  behaved  in 
the  most   outrageous   manner.     A 
great    change    for    the    better    in 
public     opinion     with     regard    to 
Catholics     had     taken     place     in 
October   1872,   when    the   founda 
tions  of  the  new  church  were  laid 
by  the  Bishop  of  Northampton.  Mr. 
Gilbert  Blount  was  the  architect, 
the   cost   of  erection   being   about 
£3,000.       This     beautiful     church 
was  completed   during  the  course 
of  1873.    A  handsome  carved  stone 
and  marble  altar  and  reredos  were 
added  to  the  Sacred  Heart  Chapel 


!    by  Fr.  Wrigglesworth  in  May  1887. 

|    Messrs.  Purdie  and  Boulton  were 

the   architects    and    sculptors,   re- 

j    spectively,  of  this  fine  addition  to 

the  church. 

Priests. 

I    Rev.  J.  Canon  Warmoll,  1863. 
„    Geo.  Wrigglesworth,  1885. 
„    Geo.  Canon  Osman,  1888. 
„    Eobt.  Middleton,  1890,  to  date. 


BEDFORD    LEIGH,    LANCS.     See 

Leigh,  St.  Joseph's. 


BEDWORTH,      WARWICKSHIRE 

(Birmingham}.      St.     Francis     of 
Assisi. 

By  the  zeal  and  exertions  of  the 
Capuchin  Fathers  this  mission  was 
placed  on  a  permanent  footing  in 
February  1881.  On  Sunday,  March 
5,  1881,  Stations  of  the  Cross  were 
erected,  and  two  sacred  statues 
were  unveiled  in  the  chapel  by 
the  generosity  of  benefactors.  The 
new  Catholic  Church,  which  was 
built  1882-83,  accommodates  some 
150  persons.  The  schools  for  100 
children  were  erected  at  the  same 
time.  For  several  years  the  mis 
sion  was  served  from  Nuneaton 
and  Weston.  It  is  now  attended 
by  the  Premonstratensians. 


SEEDING,  near  BRAMBER, 
SUSSEX. 

In  1904  the  Nuns  of  the  Con 
gregation  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
acquired  the  mansion  known  as 
the  '  Towers,'  where  they  have  com 
menced  a  high-class  girls'  school. 
The  chapel  is  open  to  the  public. 
Chaplain,  Rev.  A.  Marcellin. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


73 


BEESTON,  NOTTINGHAM.  St. 
Peter. 

The  mission  was  commenced 
1885  and  for  some  time  was  served 
from  the  Cathedral,  Nottingham. 
In  February  1887,  Fr.  G.  V.  Bull 
was  appointed  resident  rector.  On 
the  first  Sunday  of  Lent,  the  same 
year,  nine  persons  were  confirmed 
by  Bishop  Bagshawe.  The  church 
designed  by  G.  Hart  was  opened 
by  Canon  Douglas  in  May  1898 ; 
accommodation  for  150. 


BEGBROOK,  near  OXFORD  (Bir 
mingham). 

A  monastery— known  as  St. 
Philip's  Priory — for  the  '  training 
and  education  '  of  novices  for  the 
Servite  Order  was  opened  here  on 
Tuesday,  January  5,  1897.  High 
Mass  was  sung  by  the  Rev.  Bona- 
venture  Ceirano,  prior  of  the  founda 
tion,  the  sermon  being  preached  by 
the  Bishop  of  Birmingham. 


BELLINGHAM,  NORTHUMBER 
LAND  (Hexliam  and  Newcastle). 
St.  Oswald. 

The  foundation  of  this  mission  is 
dated  1749.  A  chapel  was  built  in 
1794,  from  which  j-ear  the  baptismal 
register  commences.  That  of  deaths 
commences  1775.  On  June  20, 
1839,  '  a  neat  and  convenient 
chapel  in  the  Gothic  style  of  archi 
tecture  '  was  opened  by  Bishop 
Briggs.  The  Bishop  and  two 
Catholic  gentlemen  contributed 
liberally  towards  its  erection.  One 
of  these  was  W.  Charlton,  Esq., 
High  Sheriff  of  the  County,  1838. 

Priests  since  1800. 
Eev.  Geo.  Turner. 

„    Dinmore,  1832. 

„    A.  Macartney,  1834. 


Eev.  N.  Brown,  1838. 
„    E.  Hothersall,  1852. 
„    Geo.    Flint,    1862;    till    after 

1900. 
„    Harold  Tate,  1902. 


BELLS    CLOSE,    SCOTSWOOD-ON- 
TYNE,    NORTHUMBERLAND  (Hex- 
ham,  and  Neivcastle).     St.  George. 
The  church  was  opened  1869. 

Priests. 

Eev.  Thos.  Clavering. 
,,    Francis  Kuyte,  1885. 
,,    James  Canon  Stark,  1904  to 
date. 


BELMONT,  CLEHONGER,  HERE 
FORD  (Newport).  Pro-Cathedral  of 
St.  Michael. 

This  fine  church  and  Benedictine 
Priory  adjoining  were  erected  by 
the  late  F.  E.  Wegg-Prosser,  Esq., 
at  a  cost  of  upwards  of  £17,000. 
The  style  of  the  church  is  cruci 
form,  and,  like  the  priory,  was  de 
signed  by  E.  Welby  Pugin.  From 
its  situation  on  the  Belmont  estate, 
the  place  is  often  spoken  of  as  the 
Benedictine  Priory,  Belmont,  and 
for  more  than  forty  years  it  has 
been  the  noviciate  of  the  English 
province  of  the  Order.  The  opening 
of  the  Priory  took  place  November 
21, 1859,  the  anniversary  of  the  day 
on  which  Abbot  John  Feckinham 
took  possession  of  the  Abbey  of 
Westminster,  temp.  Queen  Mary. 
Abbot  Sweeney  was  superior  of  St. 
Michael  at  the  time  of  the  opening. 
He  was  born  at  Bangalore,  India, 
1821,  his  father  being  a  British  officer 
and  one  of  the  friends  of  Napoleon 
at  St.  Helena.  Abbot  Sweeney  is 
the  author  of  the  well-known  '  Life 
of  Father  Augustine  Baker,  O.S.B.,' 
the  martyr ;  '  Lectures  on  Faith 


74 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


and  Practice  '  &c.  He  died  at  St. 
John's  Priory,  Bath,  April  17, 1883. 
The  pro-Cathedral  was  still  un 
finished  when  the  Jubilee  was 
celebrated  in  September  1885. 


BENTHAM,  YORKS  (Leeds').     St. 
Boniface. 

The  church  was  opened  in  1866. 

Priests. 
Kev.  Joseph  Hill,  1866. 

„    Thos.  Croskell,  1888. 

„    S.  Y.  Morgan,  1898  to  date. 


BERMONDSEY,  LONDON,  S.E. 
The  Most  Holy  Trinity,  Parker's 
Kow. 

This  mission  is  famous  as  being 
one  of  the  first  to  be  started  with 
out  the  aid  or  patronage  of  any  of 
the  foreign  ambassadors.  In  May 
1773  Fr.  Gerard  Shaw  gave  Bishop 
Talbot,  coadjutor  of  Bishop  Chal- 
loner,  £500 — afterwards  increased 
to  £700 — to  found  a  mission  at 
Bermondsey.  He  likewise  pre 
sented  a  silver  chalice  for  use  in 
the  chapel.  In  the  Latin  document 
concerning  these  bequests  is  a 
clause  requiring  one  of  the  chap 
lains  at  Bermondsey  to  be  able  to 
speak  both  Irish  and  English. 
The  baptismal  registers  date  from 
1776,  but  no  priest's  name  appears 
in  them  at  that  time.  A  Miss 
Byrne  also  endowed  the  mission  at 
the  outset  with  the  sum  of  £200. 
The  first  chapel,  or  '  Mass-house,' 
was  in  East  Lane.  There  is  a  tra 
dition  that  during  the  Gordon  riots 
in  1780  the  '  No  Popery  '  mob  came 
to  Bermondsey  to  destroy  the 
chapel,  but  were  unable  to  find  it. 
Bishop  Chal  loner  is  said  to  have 
preached  and  confirmed  here.  In 
1799  Fr.  Broderick  established  a 


school  which  was  supported  by 
Irish  merchants  and  tradesmen  in 
London.  A  few  years  later  the 
Baroness  de  Montesquieu,  daughter- 
in-law  of  the  author  of  the  Ij  Esprit 
des  Lois,  who  had  emigrated  at 
the  Revolution,  gave  a  site  for  a 
new  school  and  £5,000  for  a  church. 
The  double  schools  (for  boys  and 
girls)  were  in  Paradise  Street, 
Kotherhithe.  Baptisms  amounted 
to  177  in  1834;  251  in  1862; 
385  in  1881.  Fr.  Butler,  who 
came  to  Bermondsey  in  1832, 
supplied  the  church  with  the 
benches  that  are  still  in  use.  On 
Monday,  August  3,  1834,  the 
first  stone  of  the  new  church  was 
laid  by  Bishop  Bramstone,  V.A.L., 
assisted  by  Bishop  Griffiths.  The 
sermon  by  Fr.  Harrington  was 
heard  with  great  attention  by  up 
wards  of  4,000  spectators.  The 
building  was  opened  in  June  1835. 
Bishop  Bramstone  sang  the  Mass, 
and  among  the  choir  was  Madame 
Stockhauser,  the  celebrated  canta- 
trice.  Bishop  Griffiths  preached 
and  in  the  course  of  the  sermon  he 
asked  prayers  for  the  Baroness  de 
Montesquieu,  then  dying.  This 
great  benefactress  to  London  Catho 
licity  died  on  July  13  following, 
and  was  interred  beneath  the 
church  she  did  so  much  to  found. 
The  style  of  the  building  is  perpen 
dicular  Gothic  with  galleries  above 
the  aisles — additions  which  gave 
great  offence  to  the  architect  E. 
Welby  Pugin. 

New  permanent  confessionals 
and  a  large  additional  sacristy  were 
added  in  1900.  The  rich  east  win 
dow  is  the  gift  of  the  Pauling  family 
of  Effingham,  Surrey.  On  the  side 
walls  of  the  church  are  mural 
tablets  and  brasses  to  past  rectors 
of  the  mission,  and  near  the  en 
trance  a  fine  Calvary  group,  in 
memory  of  Provost  Bamber  of 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


75 


Southwark  (died  1886).  The  Eev.  E. 
Murnane,  M.K.,  is  the  present 
rector.  It  was  at  this  mission  that 
the  Catholic  Boys'  Brigade — now 
so  widely  spread  over  London — was 
first  started  by  Fr.  P.  Segesser, 
the  present  rector  of  Deptford. 
The  Convent  of  Mercy  which  ad 
joins  the  church  was  opened  in 
1838.  Among  the  first  sisters  to 
be  professed  here  was  Lady  Barbara 
Eyre,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  New- 
burgh,  a  descendant  of  the  Jacobite 
Earl  of  Derwentwater,  beheaded  in 
1716.  Several  of  the  nuns  went  to 
the  Crimea  in  1854  as  hospital 
nurses,  and  their  services  to  the 
sick  and  wounded  soldiers  were 
gratefully  acknowledged  by  Miss 
Florence  Nightingale,  whose  por 
trait  hangs  in  the  Community  room 
of  the  Convent. 

N.B.— The  Ven.  Henry  Heath, 
O.S.F.,  who  suffered  for  the  Faith 
at  Tyburn  in  1643,  was  arrested  at 
the  Star  Inn,  Bermondsey,  a  site 
now  occupied,  we  believe,  by  the 
Star  Music  Hall  in  Abbey  Street. 


BERMONDSEY,  SOUTH,  LONDON, 

S.E.  (Southward).     St.  Gertrude. 

The  district  between  South  Ber 
mondsey  and  the  Old  Kent  Koad, 
which  up  to  1885  was  mainly  a 
waste,  had  by  1890  become  a 
densely  populated  area.  A  site  for 
a  church  was  acquired  by  Bishop 
Butt  in  1892,  but  the  building  was 
not  erected  till  1902.  The  style  is 
Komanesque  from  design  by  the 
late  F.  Tasker.  A  generous  bene 
factress  defrayed  the  cost  of  build 
ing.  Above  the  altar  hangs  a  large 
Flemish  crucifix  modelled  after  the 
celebrated  picture  by  Sir  Anthony 
Van  Dyck.  Fr.  Martin  Gifkins  was 
the  first  and  the  Kev.  H.  Evans  is 
the  present  rector. 


BERWICK-ON-TWEED,  NORTH 
UMBERLAND  (Hexham  and  New 
castle).  Our  Lady  and  St.  Cuth- 
bert. 

The  town  was  one  of  the  places 
visited  by  the  Jesuits  of  the  St. 
John  the  Evangelist  '  residence ' 
after  1623.  No  record,  however, 
remains  of  their  labours.  The 
mission  afterwards  passed  under 
the  care  of  the  Benedictines,  but  no 
registers  appear  to  have  been  kept 
till  1793.  The  chapel  in  Eavens- 
down  Street  was  opened  in  1829. 
In  1846  Fr.  Withain  proposed  the 
erection  of  a  more  commodious 
chapel,  '  neat,  but  not  gaudy,'  in 
the  Early  English  style,  to  take  the 
place  of  the  existing  building 
which  was  'far  too  small  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  people.'  We 
have  not,  however,  been  able  to  dis 
cover  if  this  suggestion  was  carried 
out. 

Priests  since  1824. 
Mission  vacant,  1825. 
Kev.  Wm.  Birdsall,  1826. 
„    E.  Smith,  1839. 

Thos.  Witham,  1844. 

A.  Macdermott,  1848. 

Thos.  Hanegan,  1856. 

\Vm.  Markland,  1858. 

Denis  Buckley,  1864. 

John  O'Connor,  here  1871. 

James  Farrell,  1874. 

Wm.  Gillow,  1880. 

James  Stark,  1881. 

Wm.  Smythe,  1885  to  date. 


BETHNAL  GREEN,  LONDON,  N.E. 
(Westminster).  Our  Lady  of  the 
Assumption. 

In  1903  Cardinal  Vaughan  re 
quested  the  Augustinian  Fathers 
of  the  Assumption,  expelled  from 
France,  to  take  charge  of  this  newly 
established  mission.  A  temporary 
j  chapel  was  opened  at  North  Pas- 


76 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


sage,  Green  Street,  near  the  presby 
tery,  24  Globe  Road,  afterwards 
removed  to  184  Cambridge  Road. 
Fr.  Gelase  Urginet  is  the  Superior. 


BETHNAL  GREEN,  LONDON,  N.E. 
The  Polish  Chapel. 

The  mission  was  commenced  in 
November  1904,  Mass  being  said 
for  the  first  time  here  on  Sunday, 
December  4  following.  Count 
Lubienski  and  Mr.  Pace  are  the 
treasurers  of  the  chapel,  which  is 
under  the  care  of  Fr.  Gregory 
Domanski,  of  the  Salesian  congre 
gation. 


BEVERLEY,  YORKS  (Middles - 
brough).  St.  John. 

Before  the  establishment  of  this 
mission,  March  1846,  the  nearest 
Catholic  chapel  was  at  Hull,  some 
7 1  miles  distant.  The  first  chapel 
was  a  room  hired  by  Fr.  Astrop. 
In  1850  Beverley  became  the  terri 
torial  See  of  the  Bishop  of  the  old 
Yorkshire  district,  but  the  occu 
pants  of  it  were  installed  at  St. 
George's,  York,  in  which  city  they 
resided.  Owing  to  the  growth  of 
the  diocese,  it  was  divided  into  two 
Sees,  that  of  Leeds  and  Middles 
brough,  1878. 

The  Lord  Bislioi^s  of  Beverley. 

(1)  Rt.    Rev.    John    Briggs,    born 

1789 ;  educated  at  Ushaw, 
and  ordained  July  9,  1814 ; 
president  of  the  College,  1832- 
36  ;  Bishop  of  Tracliis,  1833  ; 
Vicar  Apostolic  of  the  York 
district,  1840;  translated  to 
Beverley,  1850 ;  resigned  No 
vember  7,  1860;  died  Janu 
ary  4,  1861. 

(2)  Rt.  Rev.  Cornthwaite,  born  May 

9,  1818  ;  consecrated  by  Car 


dinal  Wiseman,  November  10, 
1861 ;  translated  to  Leeds, 
December  20,  1878;  died, 
June  16,  1890. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Wm.  Astrop,  1846. 

Bernard  Branigan,  1852. 
Henry  Walker,  1856. 
Thos.  Smith,  1858. 
M.  Bisenius,  1882. 
James  Humphreys,  1885. 
Francis  John  Hall,  1891. 
Prosper  Coppin,  1897. 
Thomas  R.  Murphy,  1905;  to 
date. 


BEXHILL  -  ON  -  SEA,          SUSSEX 

(Southward).      St.    Mary   Magda 
len. 

In  the  spring  of  1893  the 
Fathers  of  Charity  opened  a  tem 
porary  chapel  which  served  the 
mission  till  the  erection  of  the 
present  fine  church. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Richard  Richardson,  1893. 

,,    Alfred  Knight,  to  date. 


BICESTER,  OXFORDSHIRE  (Bir 
mingham).  St.  Edith's  Priory. 

A  school  chapel  was  opened  in 
1885  and  served  from  Hethe  ;  later 
on  from  Souldern.  The  Olivetan 
Benedictine  nuns  erected  a  priory 
here  in  1903. 

Chaplains. 
Rev.  F.  Venance,  1903. 

„    A.  Costedloat,  1905. 


BIDDLESTONE,  NORTHUMBER 
LAND  (Hexham  and  Newcastle). 

Biddlestone  Castle  is  the  ances 
tral  seat  of  the  Selby  family,  who 
have  always  been  staunch  to  the 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


77 


Faith.  The  chapel  is  said  to  have 
been  built  in  the  year  1200.  After 
the  year  1623  the  place  was  served 
by  the  Jesuit  Fathers.  Fr.  Robt. 
Widdrington  appears  to  have  been 
th  e  first  resident  missioner  at  Biddle- 
stone.  This  worthy  priest  was  here 
after  the  Restoration  and  is  note 
worthy  for  having  assisted  in  the 
Conversion  of  James  Drummond, 
Duke  of  Perth.  The  last  Jesuit 
chaplain  here  was  probably  Fr. 
Newton  1750.  The  congregation  at 
that  time  was  returned  at '  about  fifty 
or  sixty  '  and  the  remuneration  as 
'  £10  and  diet.'  After  this  the  care 
of  the  missions  seems  to  have  de 
volved  on  the  Benedictines.  The 
registers  date  from  1767.  Fr.  J. 
Naylor,  O.S.B.,  was  here  for  many 
years  and  till  about  the  end  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  A  return 
set  forth  in  1837  gave  the  congrega 
tion  at  eighty-two,  exclusive  of  ten 
converts. 

Priests  since  1824. 
Rev.    J.    Abbot ;    Mission    vacant 
1832-36. 

„      Jn.  Fisher,  1837. 

„       -  Howard,  1839. 

„     Thos.  Hogget,  1842. 

„      Henry  Cartmell,  1888. 

„     Win.  Drysdale,  1891. 

„     Robt.  Kerr,  1892  to  date. 


BIDEFORD,  DEVONSHIRE  (Ply. 
mouth).  The  Sacred  Heart. 

The  first  chapel  was  a  mission 
room  at  the  Public  Rooms  (1888), 
Fr.  J.  Burns  being  the  first  priest. 
The  new  church  was  built  in  the 
grounds  attached  to  the  priest's 
house,  the  foundation  stone  being 
laid  in  August  1892  by  the  Bishop 
of  Plymouth.  The  sermon  at  the 
ceremony  was  preached  by  Fr. 
Langdon,  of  Launceston  (St.  Matt, 
vii.  24-25).  The  building  is  cruci 


form,  and  measures  58  ft.  by  22  ft. 
Mr.  Lethbridge  of  Plymouth  was 
the  architect.  The  church  was 
opened  in  December  1892.  In  the 
autumn  of  1893  the  building  was 
enriched  by  a  new  pulpit  and  a 
bell. 


BEDLINGTON,  NORTHUMBER 
LAND  (Hexliam  and  Newcastle). 
St.  Bede. 

A  Benedictine  Mission  estab 
lished  in  1876  for  the  benefit  of  the 
many  Catholics  employed  in  the 
local  colliery  and  nail-making  in 
dustries. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Francis  Hickey,  1876. 

Jerome  Watmough,  1882. 

Charles  Wray,  1885. 

Charles  Smith,  1890. 

James  Furness,  1892. 

Wm.  Baines,  1899  to  date. 


BIGGLESWADE,  BEDFORDSHIRE 
(Northampton). 

A  mission-chapel  has  been  esta 
blished  here  (1906),  and  Mass  is 
said  once  a  month  by  Fr.  E.  King 
of  Shefford.  An  evening  service  is 
given  by  the  same  priest  every 
Sunday,  and  it  is  hoped  that  a 
priest  may  soon  be  appointed  to 
take  charge  of  this  growing  centre 
of  Catholicity. 


BILSTON,  STAFFORDSHIRE  (Bir 
mingham).  Holy  Trinity. 

During  the  cholera  epidemic  of 
1832  Fr.  Francis,  afterwards  Bishop 
Mostyn,  and  Fr.  O'Sullivan  *  were 
indefatigable  in  their  exerti  ~>ns  to 
afford  every  spiritual  and  c  )rporal 
assistance  '  to  the  sufferers.  They 


78 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


received  many  into  the  Church,  and 
so  deep  was  the  impression  made 
by  their  apostolic  labours,  that 
many  protestants  joined  in  peti 
tioning  Bishop  Walsh,  V.A.M.D., 
to  erect  a  Catholic  chapel  in  the 
town.  Aided  by  James  Wheble, 
Esq.,  and  the  Baroness  de  Montes 
quieu,  the  Bishop  was  enabled  to 
open  the  desired  chapel — to  accom 
modate  500— in  April  1834.  In 
1832  the  Catholic  population  of 
Bilston  amounted  to  about  half  a 
dozen  families,  but  the  number  had 
greatly  increased  at  the  time  a 
regular  mission  was  established. 
For  several  years  the  priest  had  to 
attend  Wednesbury,  Darlston  and 
Willenhall.  A  fine  new  chancel 
by  Pugin  and  a  window  by  Wailes 
were  added  to  the  church  in  August 
1846. 

Priests  at  Bilston. 
Kev.   F.    Mostyn   and  O' Sullivan, 
1832. 

„      Thos.  Sing,  1836. 

„      G.  Fox,  1838. 

„      S.  Longman,  1844. 

„      M.  Crewe,  1848. 

„      John     Sherlock    and    Robt. 
Swift,  1851. 

„      P.   Davies    and    H.    Terry, 
1855. 

„      John    O'Connor,    M.R.,  and 
John  Clarke,  1864. 

„      James  McCave,  D.D.,  1867. 

„      M.  Power  in  1870. 

„      AV.  Stone,  1889. 

„      W.  Waugh,  1890. 

„      G.  Bunce,  1898. 

„      William  Sutherland,  1904  to 
date. 


BINGLEY,  YORKS  (Leeds}.  The 
Sacred  Heart. 

A  school  chapel  was  erected 
here  1873,  at  which  time  there 
were  many  Catholics  engaged  in  the 


worsted,  paper,  and  iron  manufac 
tures  of  the  town.  For  some  short 
time  prior  to  the  opening  of  the 
school  chapel,  a  '  station  '  had  been 
established  in  the  town  and  served 
from  Shipley. 

Priests. 

Eevs.   Edmund    de   Thury,   D.D., 
1873. 

Aloysius  Puissant,  1880. 

Alfred  Watson,  1882. 

Thos.  Parkin,  1891. 

Thos.  Bradley,  1897. 

Honore  Fove,  1903  to  date. 


BIRCHLEY,       WIGAN,       LANGS 

(Liverpool}.     St.  Mary. 

The  oldest  mission  in  Lancashire 
(alleged).  The  Hall,  the  residence 
of  the  Andertons,  was  built  in  1588, 
and  in  1618  the  chapel.  The  family 
were  great  sufferers  for  the  Faith. 
A  secret  printing  press  was  set  up 
in  the  house  from  which  '  many 
Popish  pamphlets  were  printed.' 
Fr.  Robert  Anderton  was  executed 
in  the  Isle  of  Wight  1586  for  being 
a  priest  contrary  to  the  laws,  and 
two  others  of  the  race  fell  in  the 
cause  of  Charles  I.  during  the  Civil 
War.  Fr.  Jn.  Penswick,  who  served 
the  mission  for  forty-six  years  and 
died  October  30,  1864,  was  the  last 
of  the  Douai  priests.  He  erected 
the  present  church,  opened  June  20, 
1828.  The  schools  were  inaugurated 
October  29,  1860.  The  chancel 
and  presbytery  were  built  by  Fr.  J. 
Wrennall  (1872). 

Priests. 
Kev.  Eoger  Anderton,  1645. 

„    Thos.  Jameson  alias  Sedden, 
1698. 

„    Richard    Jameson    (brother), 
1717. 

„    Thos.  Lancaster,  1719. 

„    Emerick          Grimbaldestone, 
1751. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC    MISSIONS 


79 


Rev.  Hy.  Dennett,  1786. 
Jn.  Penswick,  1804. 
Patrick  Fairhurst,  1850.  Died 

in  India,  May  19,  1858. 
Jn.  Hardman,  1855. 
Thos.  Walton,  1865. 
Jos.  Wrennall,  1869. 
Austin  Powell,  1872  to  date. 


BIEKDALE,  SOUTHPORT,  LANGS 

(Liverpool).     St.  Joseph's. 

In  1880  Birkdale  was  the  abode 
of  *  cormorants,  seagulls,  and  other 
sea  fowl.'  By  1860  the  place  had 
become  a  city  of  '  stately  villas 
and  abodes  of  wealth.'  On  Oc 
tober  14,  1865,  Bishop  Goss,  of 
Liverpool,  laid  the  first  stone  of 
the  church  on  a  site  given  by  T. 
Weld-Blundell,  Esq.,  the  Lord  of 
the  Manor,  who  also  contributed 
£1,000  towards  the  erection.  The 
Gothic  building  designed  by  E.  W. 
Pugin  was  opened  in  May  1867. 
The  seating  accommodation  is  for 
about  five  hundred.  Fr.  J.  Abra 
ham,  who  used  to  attend  the  few 
Catholics  of  the  district  before  the 
establishment  of  a  regular  mission, 
presented  the  Campanile  with  a  fine 
bell.  In  1883  the  congregation  had 
grown  so  numerous  that  a  school 
room  had  to  be  used  as  a  chapel  of 
ease.  In  July  1884  a  school  chapel 
dedicated  to  St.  Theresa  was  opened 
for  worship  by  the  Bishop  of  Liver 
pool.  The  chapel  was  provided  at 
the  expense  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weld- 
Blundell,  on  whose  estate  it  is 
built.  Fr.  John  Gardner  was  ap 
pointed  priest  in  charge  of  the  new 
mission. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Chas.  Canon  Teebay.  1867. 

„    Jas.  Canon  Taylor,  1883. 

„    Jn.    Canon   Wallwork,    M.E., 
1885. 


1    Kev.  Jn.  Kelly,  1891. 

„    John  Canon  Walmsley,  1895. 
,,    William  Canon  Gordon,  1897. 


BIRKENHEAD,      CHESHIEE 

(Shrewsbury}.      Our   Lady  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception. 

The  establishment  of  a  chapel 
at  Birkenhead  dates  from  1837. 
At  that  time  the  Catholic  popula 
tion  was  hardly  200  and  the  chapel 
was  generally  regarded  as  '  too 
large.'  By  1845  the  Catholics 
numbered  5,000  !  There  were  then 
300  children  in  the  schools.  The 
'  Catholic  life '  of  the  place  was, 
however,  reported  to  be  very  back 
ward,  great  numbers  neglecting 
their  «  duties.'  Fr.  Collier,  of  New 
Mills,  opposite  Birkenhead,  did 
much  to  revive  religion  in  the  mis 
sion.  New  schools  of  Stourton 
stone,  from  the  design  of  E.  W» 
Pugin,  were  erected  in  1857.  In 
1861  the  Catholic  population  was 
estimated  at  10,000.  Next  year 
(May)  the  church  to  seat  about 
1,000  was  opened  by  the  Bishop  of 
Shrewsbury.  The  style  is  '  severe 
French  Gothic.'  E.  W.  Pugin  was 
the  architect.  In  1875  a  hand 
some  pulpit  was  presented  by  Fr. 
Slaughter.  The  chancel  was  com 
pleted  1877.  Bishop  Mostyn,  V.A. 
of  Wales,  was  consecrated  here  in 
July  1895.  The  high  altar  of  stone 
and  marble  was  erected  June  11, 
1899. 

Priests. 
Rev.  John  Rogerson,  1857. 

„    Canon  Daly,  1863. 
Monsignor  Slaughter,  1872. 
Rev.  Francis  Mostyn,  1891  (Bishop 

of  Menevia,  1895). 
,,   Jn.  Canon  Barry,  1895. 


80 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


BIRKENHEAD,  CHESHIRE 

(Shrewsbury}.     St.  Werburgh. 

For  some  notice  of  recent  Catho 
licity  in  the  town,  see  account  of 
the  Church  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception.  The  mother  church  of 
the  district  was  opened  August  22, 
1837,  the  mission  having  been  insti 
tuted  the  previous  year  by  Fr.  John 
Platt,  assisted  by  the  Earl  of 
Shrewsbury.  A  chapel  for  emi 
grants,  near  the  docks,  was  esta 
blished  by  Canon  Browne,  1854. 

Priests. 
Rev.  John  Platt,  1836. 

W.  Henderson,  1810. 

Edw.  Canon  Browne,  1847. 

Ixobt.  Canon  Chapman,  1857. 

Eugene  Canon  Buqiiet,  1882. 

Thomas  Canon  Marsden,  V.  G., 
1898  to  date. 


BIRKENHEAD.  St.  Lawrence's 
Church. 

Erected  in  1875  at  a  cost — in 
cluding  furniture,  &c. — of  £11,000. 
The  congregation  in  1887  numbered 
5,000.  In  February  of  that  year 
arbitration  was  commenced  between 
Fr.  Michael  Craig,  rector  of  the 
church,  and  the  Mersey  Railway 
Company,  in  consequence  of  the 
subsidence  of  the  church  due  to  the 
company's  tunnelling  operations. 
On  May  16,  1886,  the  church 
showed  signs  of  being  unsafe,  and 
the  building  was  shortly  afterwards 
closed.  With  the  £'7,911  paid  as 
compensation  by  the  Railway  Com 
pany,  a  new  church  was  erected 
between  March  1889  and  1890. 
The  architect  was  Edmund  Kirby. 
In  1897  new  Sacristies  and  Lady 
Chapel  were  added,  and  in  1899 
a  choir  gallery. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Robt.  Brundrit,  1865. 

,,    Edward  Lynch,  1876. 

„    Thos.  Geraghty,  1878. 


Rev.  Canon  Marsden,  1880. 
.,    Michael  Craig,  1885. 
,,    Gerald   Canon  Kcegan,  1895 
to  date. 


BIRMINGHAM,  WARWICK 

SHIRE. 

On  March  23,  1687,  the  founda 
tion  stone  of  a  Catholic  chapel  at 
Birmingham  was  laid  by  Fr.  Leo 
Randolph,  O.S.F.,  '  in  ye  presence 
of  many  Protestants  as  well  as 
Catholics.'  King  James  II.  pre 
sented  twenty-five  tons  of  timber 
from  Needwood  Forest  for  use  in 
the  new  building,  which  was  opened 
and  consecrated  September  4, 1688, 
by  Bishop  Giffard.  His  lordship 
ordered  the  anniversary  of  the 
opening  to  be  kept  on  the  first 
Sunday  of  September,  On  Novem 
ber  2,  1688,  two  days  before  the 
landing  of  the  Prince  of  Orange,  a 
protestant  mob,  acting  under  orders 
from  Lord  Delamere,  razed  the 
chapel  to  the  ground.  The  building 
was  dedicated  to  St.  Mary  Magdalen. 
It  was  95  ft.  long  by  33  ft.,  and  the 
high  altar  was  adorned  '  by  four 
large  pillars  carved  with  Corinthian 
capitals.'  The  site  of  this  chapel 
is,  or  was,  called  '  Mass  -  house 
Lane.'  After  the  destruction  of  the 
chapel,  Fr.  Randolph  retired  to 
Edgbaston,  near  the  town,  where 
he  opened  a  small  chapel  and 
started  a  school.  The  school  was 
greatly  helped  by  Lady  Curson  of 
Waterperry,  who  in  1719  bequeathed 
j  to  the  priest  in  charge  some  money 
|  for  '  four  weekly  Masses.'  The 
\  school  and  chapel  always  remained 
j  separate  establishments,  and  in 
1735  it  was  provided  by  the  Pro 
vincial  of  the  Franciscans  in  Eng 
land  that  the  incumbent  of  the 
chapel  should  pay  the  master  £16 
per  annum  for  his  board  &c.  A 
new  house  was  rented  for  the  school 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


81 


in  1750.  The  chief  benefactors  to 
the  establishment  after  this  were 
Mrs.  Mary  Weld,  who  left  £350  to 
the  school  in  1782,  and  Sir  James 
Brockholes,  of  Lancashire,  who  in 
1787  presented  it  with  £"400.  In 
1789  the  school  was  removed  to 
Baddesley  (q.v.). 

St.  Peter's 

In  1786  Frs.  J.  Nutt  and  J. 
Hawley,  the  priests  of  the  mission, 
resolved  on  erecting  a  larger  chapel, 
and  shortly  afterwards  a  tine  struc 
ture  dedicated  to  St.  Peter  was 
opened;  Fr.  Joseph  Berington 
preached  on  the  occasion  to  a 
crowded  congregation.  In  1802 
the  chapel  was  enlarged,  many 
protestants  contributing  to  the 
fund.  Fr.  Nutt  died  in  1799.  His 
successors  were  Messrs.  Filkington, 
Kimble,  Summer,  Hawley,  and 
Edgeworth.  In  1824  the  Francis 
cans  gave  up  the  mission  to  the  V.A. 
of  the  Midlands,  when  the  Rev.  J. 
McDonnell  was  appointed  to  the 
chapel.  He  built  the  presbytery, 
added  side  galleries  to  the  chapel, 
and  opened  a  Catholic  burial 
ground.  These  undertakings  loaded 
him  with  debt,  from  which  he  was 

fenerously  relieved  by  the  Earl  of 
hrewsbury.  The  enlarged  chapel 
held  about  six  hundred  persons.  In 
1833  the  Society  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  was  established  in  the  church. 
The  present  handsome  Gothic 
church  of  St.  Peter  in  Broad  Street 
was  opened  by  Bishop  Ullathorne 
in  1871. 

BIRMINGHAM.  Holy  Family. 
See  APPENDIX. 

BIRMINGHAM,  WARWICKSHIRE. 

St.  Chad's. 

The  old  church  of  St.  Chad  was 
commenced  in  1806  and  finished 
1809,  during  the  incumbency  of  Fr. 
Edward  Peach.  In  1834  a  meeting 


was  held  at  the  church  when  it  was 
resolved  '  that  it  is  highly  desirable 
that  a  commodious  and  splendid 
church  be  erected  in  Birmingham.' 
This  resolution  was  effectively  real 
ised  in  June  1841,  when  the  present 
magnificent  Cathedral  was  conse 
crated  by  Bishop  Walsh.  The  style 
is  perpendicular  Gothic,  from  the 
design  of  A.  W.  Pugin.  In  1847 
365  persons  were  confirmed  here  by 
Bishop  Wiseman.  Bishop  Walsh, 
who  died  in  1849,  oct.  83,  is  buried 
in  the  crypt.  On  the  re-establish 
ment  of  the  hierarchy  in  1850, 
Dr.  Ullathorne  was  enthroned  as 
Bishop  of  Birmingham  (October 
27),  upon  which  occasion  Cardinal 
Wiseman  preached  (Matt.  xiv.  25, 
26).  The  diamond  jubilee  of  the 
church  was  celebrated  in  1901. 
Additional  sacristies  were  built  by 
Canon  Greaney,  1883.  The  St. 
Chad's  Grammar  School,  opened 
on  Summer  Hill  1858,  is  now 
represented  by  St.  Philip's  Gram 
mar  School.  The  Chapter  of  the 
Cathedral  was  erected  June  24, 
1852,  Monsignor  Henry  Weedall. 
D.D.,  being  the  first  Provost. 
Among  the  benefactions  to  the 
Church  may  be  noted :  a  fifteenth 
century  brass  lectern  and  carved 
oak  pulpit — from  the  Church  of 
St.  Gertrude,  Louvain — presented 
by  John,  sixteenth  Earl  of  Shrews 
bury  ;  the  rich  high-altar,  given  by 
J.  Hardman,  Esq.,  &c.  There  are 
memorial  windows  to  Thomas 
Canon  Flanagan,  the  ecclesiastical 
historian  (died  July  21,  1865)  ; 
George  Wareing,  Esq.  (died  1844), 
&c. 

Priests. 
Rev.  E.  Peach,  1806-39. 

„    T.  McDonnell,  1839. 

„    J.  Moore,  1842. 

„    H.  Weedall,  D.D.,  1849. 

In    1850    the   City  became   the 
See     of    Birmingham     with     Dr. 

G 


KKlil.fSir    CATHOLIC    MISSION'S 


Ullathorno   as  first  bishop.     Since 
llion  the  chief  administrators  under 
the  bishops  have  been  : 
Key.  Geo.  Canon  Jeffries, V.G.,  1851. 

„    Michael  O'Sullivan,  1800. 

„    Thos.  Canon  Longman,  1877. 

„    W.  Greaney,  1885. 

„    Fredk.  Canon  Keating,  1898. 


BIRMINGHAM.  St.  Francis, 
Hunter  l\oad. 

Opened  '  with  considerable  cere 
mony  '  by  Cardinal  Vaughan  in 
1894,  and  has  since  been  '  beautified 
by  the  addition  of  much  internal 
decorations.'  The  building  was 
consecrated  by  Bishop  Ilsley, 
Thursday,  June  21,  1900. 


BIRMINGHAM.     St.   John.     See 
APPENDIX. 


BIRMINGHAM.  St.  Michael's, 
Moor  Street. 

In  May  1862,  a  Unitarian  meet 
ing  house  was  purchased,  and  con 
secrated  for  use  as  a  Catholic  church 
by  Bishop  Morris,  who  pontificated 
at  the  High  Mass  and  preached. 
The  style  of  the  building  is  Doric, 
and  by  a  clever  architectural  mani 
pulation  some  old  vestries  adjoin 
ing  the  church  were  converted  into 
a  chancel  connected  with  the  rest 
of  the  building  by  a  By /.an  tine 
arch.  These  and  other  alterations 
were  carried  out  by  the  architect, 
Mr.  Bates.  The  *  Mass-house,' 
destroyed  by  Lord  Delamero  in 
1688,  stood  near  the  site  of  this 
church.  The  celebrated  natural 
philosopher,  Dr.  Priestley,  often 
preached  at  the  Unitarian  meeting 
house,  which  is  now  the  Catholic 
church.  When  the  purchase  of 
the  place  was  in  negotiation,  the 
diocesan  authorities  received  very 


generous  treatment  from  the  Uni 
tarian  body  iu  Birmingham,  a  eir 
eumstance  quite  in  keeping  with 
the  general  good  feeling  existing 
between  Catholic's  and  the  membeis 
of  this  persuasion  arising  from  their 
suffering  so  long  together  from  the 
operation  of  the  penal  laws. 

The  congregation  of  St.  Michael 
numbered  about  4,000  in  ISO,'.. 
The  first  priests  were  Frs.  ,1 .  Sherlock 
and  J.  Power.  Frs.  J.  Hanlon  and 
W.  O'Dowd  are  in  charge  of  the 
mission  at  present. 


BIRMINGHAM.  St.  Patrick's, 
Dudley  Boad. 

This  church  was  opened  Octo 
ber  29,  1895,  by  Bishop  Ilsley. 
The  style  is  French  Gothic.  A 
conspicuous  feature  of  the  interior 
is  the  fine  red  stone  columns. 
The  accommodation  of  the  building 
is  for  500.  Prior  to  the  opening  of 
the  present  edifice,  an  iron  ehurch 
did  duty  as  a  place  of  worship. 
The  line  belfry  bell  was  presented 
by  Admiral  Tinklar,  and  the 
alabaster  font  by  —  Brady,  Esq. 


BIRTLEY,  DURHAM  (Hcxluim 
and  Newcastle).  St.  Joseph. 

A  Mass -house  is  said  to  have 
existed  here  in  1690.  In  1820  the 
Jesuits  had  charge  of  the  mission. 
Fr.  Higginson,  O.S.B.,  was  rector 
in  1832.  The  Catholic  population 
was  reckoned  at  about  one  hundred, 
1  mostly  miners.'  In  July  1842,  the 
stone  of  the  new  church  was  laid  by 
Fr.  W.  Biddell,  of  Newcastle,  during 
the  rectorate  of  Fr.  Sheridan.  The 
building  (Gothic)  was  opened  by 
Bishop  Mostyn,  May  8,  1842.  Mr. 
Dobson  was  the  architect.  Several 
fine"  stained-glass  windows  were 
presented  to  the  church  by  J.  Todd, 
Esq.,  of  Newcastle.  The  church 


ENGLISH  rvniouc  MISSIONS 


was  enlarged  1862,  during  the 
rectorate  of  Fr.  Jn.  Swale,  O.S.IJ. 
I  r.  F.  Seannell.  O.S.Ii.,  i 


BISHOP     AUCKLAND,      DURHAM 

{ I  Ic.i'.hu  in    Utitl,    Nf'JDCdnfic). 

St.  Wilfrid'8  Church,  in  'the 
old  Gothic  style,'  WEB  opened 
I  .'day,  October  13,  1846,  by 
Bishop  Kiddeil,  V.A.  The  Heating 
eapaeit.y  of  the  building  wa.s  for 
400.  Jiefore  the  opening  of  this 
church,  Mass  was  said  occasionally 
in  '  a  mean  room,'  by  Fr.  William, 
afterwards  Bishop  Hogarth,  who, 
on  the  Sundays  when  no  Mass 
was  said,  used  to  com?  over 
from  his  mission  at  Darlington, 
read  prayers  for  the  congregation, 
and  catechise  the  children.  The 
schools  were  erected  in  1861. 
Before  that  time  a  large  disused 
granary  was  kindly  lent  for  the 
purpose  by  J.  Peacock,  Esq.,  a 
protestant  gentleman.  During  the 
'mission'  given  by  the  Itedernp- 
torist  Fathers  in  August  1881, 
2,8(K)  persons  approached  the  Sacra 
ments,  and  798  were  confirmed  by 
Bishop  Chadwick,  of  Hexharn  and 
Newcastle. 


BISHOP  EATOX  (Liverpool).  Our 
Lady  of  UK;  Annunciation. 

The  church  of  the  liedemptorist 
Fathers  was  opened  on  Thursday, 
July  15,  1858,  by  Bishop  Goss  of 
Liverpool.  The  style  is  Early 
Perorated.  E.  Welby  Pugin  drew 
the  plans.  A  new  wing  was  added 
in  1889  from  lesigns  by  Messrs. 
Sinnott  and  lowell.  The  Pre 
paratory  College  was  opened  1894. 
The  Itedemptorists  first  carne  to 
Liverpool  in  18ol  at  the  request  of 
Bishop  Browne. 


BISHOP'S  8TORTFORD,  HERTS. 
(W<-Ht,ini/nnif,r).  St.  .Jo:-;eph  and  the 
V.\\'rL\'vA\  Martyrs. 

Tin-  temporary  church  WM 
opened  Wednesday,  November  7, 
1900.  The  number  of  ) 
1  Catholics  in  the  vicinity  at  this 
time  did  not  exceed  eleven.  For 
many  years  prior  to  the  opening  of 
the  church,  Mass  was  said  occa 
sionally  over  the  shop  of  a  Mr. 
Fitzgerald,  a  sadler,  by  one  of  the 
priests  from  St.  Edmund's,  Old 
Hall.  Then  St.  Mary's  Convent, 
Wind  Mill  Lodge,  was  established, 
and  the  chapel  of  the  institution 
enabled  the  few  Catholics  of  the 
district  to  hear  Mass  on  Sundays. 
The  church  of  the  mission  was 
opened  by  the  Bishop  of  Clifton, 
on  behalf  of  Cardinal  Vaughan. 
Since  the  commencement  of  the 
mission,  the  spiritual  care  of  the 
district  has  been  given  to  the 
Bedemptorist  Fathers. 
N.B.— The  exact  date  of  the  cora- 

mem-r-nient.  of  the  m:--ion  WM 
January  1880,  and  the  first  priest 
Fr.  D.  Nicols,  of  Ongar. 


BISHOP  THORNTON,  near  LEEDS 
(York*).  St.  Joseph. 

The  register  of  baptisms  corri- 
menceH  May  7,  180.'}.  The  ohapel 
was  built  about  1809.  Fr.  (Canon) 
Matt,  rector  here  1813  57,  was 
popularly  known  as  '  good  old 
Fr.  Platt.'  He  died  at  Bruges,  Feb 
ruary  1, 1862.  In  August  1860,  two 
fine  coloured  windows  were  erected 
in  the  church,  one  of  St.  Joseph 
and  the  Holy  Child,  and  the  other 
depicting  the  marriage  feast  at 
Cana. 

Priestn. 
Rev.  Bichard  Talbot,  1803. 

„    Charles    Saul,   died  June    5, 
1813. 

o2 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Rev.  James  Canon  Platt,  1818  till 

1857. 

A.  Macartney,  1858. 
Robt.  Canon  Thompson,  1861. 
W.  Arnold,  1863. 
Geo.  Brnnner,  1870. 
Herman  Gcurts,  1876  to  date. 


BISHOPSTOKE,  HANTS  (Ports 
mouth).  The  Holy  Cross. 

Prior  to  1888  the  mission  was 
served  from  elsewhere.  In  May 
1888,  Fr.  T.  J.  Doyle  was  appointed 
first  resident  priest.  The  church 
was  consecrated  August  1902.  St. 
Mary's  Home  for  '  waifs  and  strays  ' 
is  in  the  parish,  and  is  under  the 
direction  of  the  Portsmouth  Dio 
cesan  Bescue  Society. 


BISHOPSTON,  near  CLIFTON. 
St.  Bonaventura. 

The  Franciscan  mission  was  esta 
blished  here  in  1890.  Until  the 
opening  of  the  church  on  March  14, 
1901,  the  adjoining  school  served  as 
a  chapel.  The  friary  and  church 
in  Egerton  Road  now  form  a  con 
spicuous  landmark  of  the  town.  The 
style  is  thirteenth  century  style  of 
Gothic  (nave,  chancel,  side  chapels, 
baptistery,  and  choir  at  the  west 
end).  Seats  for  360.  The  cost  of 
erection  about  £4,000. 


BITTERNE,  HANTS  (Ports 
mouth). 

Convent  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of 
Mary,  established  1904,  chapel  open 
to  the  public.  Fr.  F.  Cabaret, 
chaplain. 


BLACKBURN,  LANCASHIRE  (Sal- 
ford).     St.  Alban. 

Abram,  in  his  history  of  Black 
burn,  says  that  owing  to  Catholic 
landlords  and  gentry,  the  population 
of   Ribblesdale  remained   attached 
to  the  old  religion  throughout  the 
penal  times.     When  Bishop  Smith, 
V.A.,  held  a  visitation  here  in  July 
1709,  crowds  of  Catholics  came  to 
be  confirmed  at  Lower  Hall,  Samles- 
bury,  Blackburn,   the  residence  of 
Mr.  Walmesley,  where  his  lordship 
resided  during  his  stay  in  the  dis 
trict.    According  to  a  letter  written 
about  this  time  by  the  Rev.  J.  Holm, 
vicar  of  Blackburn,   to   the  Arch 
bishop  of  Canterbury,  Catholics  in 
this  part  of  the  country  had  both 
'  power  and  interest.'     In  1717  Dr. 
Gastrell,   Bishop    of    Chester,   de 
clared   that   out  of  1,800   families 
in  Blackburn  1,023  were  '  avowed 
Papists.'    The  first  chapel  in  Black 
burn,    between    King    Street    and 
Chapel    Street,     was     erected     by 
Fr.  Wm.  Dunn,  D.D.,  about  1783. 
The     congregation     increased     so 
rapidly   that,    although   the  build 
ing    was    shortly    afterwards     en 
larged,   it    was    found    too    small. 
Fr.    Dunn     died    suddenly,    after 
Mass,  October  27,  1805.     In  1824 
the  old  chapel  was  sold  for  a  work 
shop.      The     second     chapel    was 
built  by  Fr.  Albert,  1826,   and  en 
larged  1883.     It  served  the  mission 
till    the    erection    of   the    present 
church   in    December    1901,    at   a 
cost   of  £20,000.     The    late    Mgr. 
Nugent,   so  famous   for  his  active 
charities,  was  curate  here  in  1846. 

The  Catholic  population  of  Black 
burn  has  increased  as  follows  : — • 
1820,  1,200;  1857,  12,000;  1882, 
20,000. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


85 


BLACKBURN,  LANCASHIRE  (Sal- 
ford).  St.  Ann's. 

A  new  school  chapel  in  connec 
tion  with  this  mission  was  opened 
in  the  St.  Silas  Eoad,  for  teaching 
purposes,  January  14,  1901,  and  for 
devotion  on  February  17  following. 
The  school  attendance  in  1901  was 
about  sixty.  The  school  is  dedicated 
to  the  Sacred  Heart. 


BLACKBURN,  LANCASHIRE.  St. 
Joseph's,  Audley. 

In  June  1874,  Bishop  Vaughan 
sent  for  Fr.  Maglione,  of  Fairfield, 
and  said  to  him,  '  If  you  take  the 
train  from  Manchester  to  Blackburn 
you  will  find  Audley.  There  is  no 
church,  no  house,  no  school ;  you 
have  to  build  all ! '  By  August 
1877  Fr.  Maglione  had  erected  '  a 
beautiful  Italian  church  '  and  com 
modious  schools.  A  men's  club- 
room  was  inaugurated  1896.  This 
energetic  priest  and  learned  canon 
ist  was  created  a  monsignor,  1901, 
and  died  January  13,  1905.  Canon 
Muescley  is  the  present  rector. 


BLACKHEATH,  LONDON,  S.E. 
(Southward).  Our  Lady  Help  of 
Christians. 

About  1859,  St.  Mary's  Orphanage 
for  Boys  was  founded  by  Canon 
Todd,  D.D.,  B.A.  (d.  1877).  The 
chapel,  which  was  open  to  the 
public,  was  enlarged  to  accommo 
date  an  additional  300  in  June 
1879.  The  orphanage  was  closed 
1903-4.  The  present  fine  mission 
church  (Decorated Gothic)  was  built 
1890-1,  at  the  sole  expense  of 
Charles  Butler,  Esq.,  a  gentleman 
of  old  Catholic  family  resident  in 
the  district.  The  accommodation 
is  for  about  four  hundred  persons. 


Mr.  Purdie  was  the  architect.  The 
church  was  consecrated  by  Bishop 
Amigo  of  Southwark,  Monday, 
August  13,  1906. 

Priests  since  1877. 
Kev.  Joseph  Wright,  1877. 

„    T.  Ford. 

„    Francis  Sheehan,  to  date. 


BLACKHILL,  DURHAM  (Ilcxliam 

and  Newcastle).      Our   Lady   Im 
maculate. 

In  1856,  Canon  Kearney  built  a 
church  here,  but  before  the  edifice 
was  complete  it  was  blown  down 
by  a  storm.  Aided  by  the  Catholics 
of  the  neighbouring  village  of  Esk, 
the  Canon  was  enabled  to  make 
good  the  damage,  and  the  church 
was  opened  in  1857.  Fr.  Thos. 
Smith  was  the  next  priest.  Canon 
Gillow  is  the  present  rector. 


BLACKLEY,      LANCS     (Sal ford]. 
Our  Lady  of  Mount  Carmel. 

The  mission  was  started  by  Fr. 

!  Hubbard  in  1851.  The  Ecv.  Dr. 
Donovan  was  priest  in  1853.  The 
church  was  opened  during  the  rec 
torship  of  Dr.  Dillon  in  1855.  The 

:  next  priests  were :  Kevs.  P.  Ver- 
meulen,  Mgr.  Provost  Croskell,  E. 
Goetgeluck,  Pi.  Liptrott,  J.  Billing- 
ton,  P.  Vermeulen  (second  time). 
A  new  infants'  school  and  parochial 
hall  were  erected  during  the  course 
of  1901. 


BLACKMORE  PARK,WORCESTER- 
SHIRE  (Birmingham).  Our  Blessed 
Lady  and  St.  Alphonsus. 

The  Hornyold  family  received 
Blackmore  Park  and  Hanby  Castle 
by  grants  from  Edward  VI.  and 


86 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


Elizabeth.  The  old  mansion,  pulled 
down  in  1861,  contained  many 
priests'  hiding-places,  and  during 
the  penal  times  parties  of  pur 
suivants  and  priest-hunters  often 
visited  the  house.  The  old  chapel 
was  in  the  upper  part  of  the  build 
ing,  and  continued  to  serve  the 
mission  till  1846,  when  the  splendid 
Gothic  church  and  presbytery  were 
erected  by  J.  V.  Hornyold,  Esq. 
Dr.  John  Hornyold,  Bishop  of 
Pliilomelia  in  partibus  and  V.A. 
of  the  Midlands  1752-78,  was  a 
member  of  this  family.  A  duke 
dom  was  conferred  on  the  family 
by  late  Pope  Leo  X.  about  1895. 


BLACKPOOL,  LANGS  (Liverpool). 
Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  and  Mary. 

Before  the  opening  of  the  church 
in  December  1857,  the  nearest 
Catholic  chapel  was  at  Lytham. 
The  church  was  erected  by  Miss 
Monica  Tempest,  sister  of  Sir 
Charles  Tempest,  Bart.,  of  Brough- 
ton  Hall.  The  plans  were  drawn 
by  E.  Welby  Pugin,  the  design 
being  the  decorated  style  of  pointed 
architecture.  Fr.  G.  Bampton,  S.J., 
was  the  first  resident  priest.  The 
schools  in  Talbot  Road  accommo 
date  370  children,  and  were  opened 
in  March  1898. 


BLACKPOOL,  LANCS.  St.  Cuth- 
bert. 

A  school  chapel  was  opened 
August  15, 1880.  The  church  (De 
corated  Gothic),  for  500  persons, 
was  opened  in  June  1890.  J. 
O'Byrne,  Esq.,  was  the  architect. 
New  sanctuary  windows,  represent 
ing  the  Adoration  of  the  Lamb, 
were  unveiled  June  23,  1895.  New 
infant  schools  were  opened  1899.  J 


The   Catholic   population   is  about 
1,200. 

Priest. 
Rev.  Edward  Lupton,  1880  to  date. 


BLAYDON,    DURHAM    (Hexliam 

and  Newcastle).     St.  Joseph. 
The    mission    was    commenced 

1897,  and  served  from    Stella  till 

1898,  when    the    present    rector, 
Fr.  James  Corboy,  was  appointed. 


BLOXWICH,        STAFFORDSHIRE 

(Birmingham}.     St.  Peter. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth 
century  T.  Purcell,  Esq.,  proprietor 
of  East  Fields,  in  this  district,  left 
some  money  for  the  support  of  a 
priest  here.  Mass  after  this  was 
said  once  a  month  at  the  residence 
of  the  Partridge  family.  The  chapel 
was  at  the  top  of  the  house,  the 
number  of  communicants  being  at 
this  time  about  twenty.  About 
1800  the  Eev.  James  Gordon  left  a 
sum  of  money  for  the  endowment 
of  a  mission,  and  the  Rev.  J.  Perry 
purchased  a  small  house  and  shop 
near  Bloxwich,  which  by  some 
alterations  was  turned  into  a  chapel 
for  eighty  persons.  The  Abbe  J. 
Norman  (Normand  ?)  and  the  Abbe 
L.  Bertrand  were  the  next  priests. 
In  1807  the  number  of  communi 
cants  was  fifty.  Fr.  Francis  Martyn, 
of  Oscott — the  first  priest  wholly 
educated  in  England  since  the 
Reformation — who  came  here  the 
same  year,  enlarged  the  chapel  to 
hold  300.  In  1819  this  energetic 
priest  established  a  second  mission 
at  Walsall  (q.v.).  The  old  chapel 
having  become  inadequate  was 
superseded  by  the  present  struc 
ture,  opened  1869, 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


87 


Eev 


Priests  after  Fr.  Martyn. 
,  Jn.  Dunne,  1828. 

E.  Bagnall,  1831. 
J.  O'Farrell,  1842. 

F.  Turvile,  1844. 
Thos.  Longman,  1851. 
W.  Ilsley,  1853. 

H.  Davey,  1857. 

Andreas  Gauvois,  1860. 

P.  Davies,  1863. 

L.  Torond,  1888. 

P.  O'Toole,  1895  to  date. 


BLUNDELLSANDS,  near  LIVER 
POOL,  LANCS.  St.  Joseph. 

The  church  was  the  gift  of  Col. 
Bhmdell,  of  Crosby,  and  his  sister, 
Miss  Blundell.  It  was  opened  by 
the  Bishop  of  Liverpool  in  Novem 
ber  1886.  The  style  is  Early  Eng 
lish,  from  the  designs  of  A.  E. 
Purdie.  The  Rosary  window  in 
the  Lady  Chapel  was  the  gift  of 
Mr.  S.  Sharman,  Col.  Blundell's 
agent.  Dr.  Paterson,  Bishop  of 
Ernmaus,  preached  on  the  evening 
of  the  day  of  opening.  The  east 
window,  in  honour  of  St.  Joseph, 
was  erected  by  Mrs.  Frances 
Taylor. 

Eev.  Nugent,  1886. 

„    Patrick  Cahill,  1887. 

„    W.  Lennon,  1890  to  date. 


BLYTH,  NORTHUMBERLAND  I 
(He.rham  and  Newcastle).  Our  j 
Lady  and  St.  Wilfrid. 

The  mission  was  commenced  in    ! 
1860,  and  till  the  opening  of  the    | 
church   in    1862  was    served  from    ! 
Cowpen  Hall,  the  ancestral  seat  of 
Henry   Sidney,   Esq.      Mr.    Dunn 
\vas  the    architect,  the  cost   being    j 
about  £2,200.    The  accommodation 
is  for  600, 


Priests. 
Eev.  P.    W.     Dromgoole,     O.S.B., 

1863. 

,,    Boniface      Jas.     MacKinlay, 
1892  to  date. 


BODMIN,  CORNWALL  (Plymouth). 
St.  Mary's  Priory. 

On  July  11,  1845,  the  Tablet 
announced  that  a  religious  com 
munity  from  Brittany  would  shortly 
take  up  missionary  work  at  Bod- 
min.  The  following  year  a  suitable 
church  in  '  Early  English  Gothic ' 
style  was  opened  through  the  exer 
tions  of  Fr.  W.  Young,  who  did 
much  to  revive  Catholicity  in  Corn 
wall.  Bishop  Ullathorne,  V.A.  of 
the  Western  District,  preached  both 
on  the  day  of  opening  (Septem 
ber  24,  1846)  and  the  following 
Sunday  '  to  vast  crowds,  who  as 
sembled  to  witness  the  cere 
monies.'  The  mission  was  the 
first  in  that  part  of  Cornwall  for 
upwards  of  three  centuries.  In 
June  1881  the  Canons  Eegular  of 
St.  Augustine,  expelled  from  France, 
settled  at  Bodmin,  and  took  charge 
of  the  mission.  They  are  the 
monastic  representatives  of  the  old 
canons  driven  from  Bodmin  at  the 
Dissolution  (1536-39).  They  trans 
formed  the  old  presbytery  into  a 
priory  under  Fr.  F.  Menchini.  On 
September  3,  1882,  took  place  the 
first  profession  of  English  novices 
since  the  settlement  of  the  com 
munity  in  this  country. 


BOGNOR,  SUSSEX  (Southwark). 
Our  Lady'  of  Seven  Dolours, 
Clarence  Eoad. 

The  mission  was  established  in 
1880,  when  Mass  was  said  in  a 
temporary  chapel  between  the 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


'  Steyne  '  and  the  Railway  Station 
by  Fr.  Lawrence.  The  new  church 
of  the  Servite  Order,  commenced  in 
September  1881,  is  in  the  Early 
English  style,  consisting  of  nave, 
transepts,  and  eight  chapels.  Mr. 
J.  Hansom  was  the  architect,  the 
cost  of  erection  being  £5,143.  The 
Catholic  population  of  Bognor  in 
1880,  including  visitors,  was  about 
sixty.  The  building  was  opened 
Wednesday,  August  1G,  1882,  by 
the  Bishop  of  Portsmouth  in  place 
of  the  Bishop  of  Southwark.  Pro 
vost  Crookall,  D.D.,  sang  the  Mass. 
The  Duke  of  Norfolk  was  present 
as  the  chief  representative  of  Sussex 
Catholicity.1 


BOLDON     COLLIERY,     DURHAM 

(Hcxliam  and  Newcastle}. 

A  chapel  of  case  was  erected 
here  by  the  Harton  Coal  Company 
for  their  Catholic  employes  and 
opened  011  Tuesday,  May  12,  1896, 
by  the  Bishop  of  Hexham  and  New 
castle.  Mass  (cor  am  Episcopo)  was 
celebrated  by  Fr.  Taylerson  of  the 
mission  at  Tyne  Dock.  At  present 
the  mission  is  served  occasionally 
from  Tyne  Dock. 


BOLLINGTON,  CHESHIRE 

(Shrewsbury}.     St.  Gregory. 

In  June  1830,  Fr.  J.  Hall,  of 
Macclesfield,  fitted  up  two  cottages 
as  a  chapel.  The  congregation 
then  numbered  200.  A  protestant 
gentleman,  Mr.  Turner,  of  Shrigley 
Hall,  generously  gave  a  site,  and 

1  Bognor  owes  its  rise  to  Sir  Bichard 
Hotham, '  who  in  1785  by  an  extensive 
erection  of  elegant  buildings'  converted 
an  obscure  fishing  village  into  a  place  of 
fashionable  resort. 


the  present  church  was  erected 
1834.  The  apse  was  adorned  with 
panels  setting  forth  the  events  of 
Our  Lord's  Passion,  1857.  The 
mission  was  served  from  Maccles 
field  till  1841.  A  school  was 
opened  1866. 

Priests. 
Rev.  K.  Glassbrook,  1841. 

„    Edw.  Kenrick,  1842. 

„    Jn.  Rich,  1845. 

„    Jn.  Shanahan,  1846. 

„    Pat.  Power,  1852. 

„    Wm.  Hilton,  1858. 

„    Pat.  Mulligan,  1860. 

„    Samuel  Bolton,  1867. 

„    Wm.  Fennelly,  1871. 

„    P.  Donovan,  1876. 

„    P.  Coleman,  1884. 

„    B.  Thompson,  1887. 

„    H.  Gore,  1894. 

„    P.  Cleary,  1895. 


BOLNEY,   SUSSEX    (Southivar'k). 

The  chapel  is  a  private  one 
attached  to  the  residence  of  Lady 
Auckland,  and  is  served  by  Fr.  F. 
Hopper,  late  of  Haywards  Heath. 
The  chapel,  which  is  open  to  the 
public,  was  established  about  three 
years  ago. 


BOLTON,    LANGS   (Salford).     St. 
Peter. 

In  1800  Mass  was  said  in  a  small 
house  in  Old  Acres.  The  Catholics 
of  the  place  consisted  of  '  seven  poor 
families.'  The  Catholic  population 
is  at  present  estimated  at  over 
22,000  (1906).  The  chapels  of  the 
city  are  as  follows  : — 
(1)  SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  Pilkington 
Street. 

Opened  1800.     Catholic    popula 
tion  of  the  district,  5,000. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


89 


Priests, 

Rev.  James  Shepherd. 
„    Jn.  Anderton,  1826. 
Jn.  Glover,  1837. 
Jn.  Dowdall,  1840. 
E.  Canon  Carter,  1848. 
Thos.  Billington,  1876. 
Henry  Canon  Browne,  1882. 
John  Canon  Gornall,  1885. 
Thos.  Allen,  1888. 
C.  Canon  Wood,  1892. 
E.  Holmes,  M.R.,  1901  to  date. 

(2)  St.  Mary. 

The  church  (Gothic)  was  opened 
September  13,  1847,  by  Bishop 
Brown,  V.A.  The  plan  comprises 
nave,  chancel,  and  porch.  Accom 
modation  for  about  500.  Catholic 
population  about  3,800  (1906). 

Priests. 
Rev.  Thos.  Smith,  1847. 

„    James  Snape,  1857. 

„    Win.  Taylor,  1860. 

„    Denis  O'Brien,  1879. 

„    W.  L.  Fowler,  1899  to  date. 

(3)  St.  Patrick,  Great  Moor  Street. 
The  church,  in  the  Early  English 

style,  was  commenced  March  1860, 
and  opened  March  17,  1861.  The 
congregation  is  estimated  at  1,400 
(1906). 

Priests. 
Rev.  Denis  Byrne,  1861. 

„    Chas.  McDcrmott  Roe,  1877. 
„    Joseph  Canon  Burke,  1889  to 
date. 

(4)  St.  Joseph,  Horace  Street. 
Founded  March  30,  1879. 

(5)  St.  Edmund,  St.  Edmund  Street. 
Opened     September     15,    1861. 

Catholic  population,  2,500. 

Priests. 
Rev.  James  Conway,  1862. 

„    Angelus  Dumalie,  1863. 

„    Henry  Browne,  here  1871. 

„    Peter  Maringer,  1882. 

„    H.  Averdonk,  1885  to  date. 

(6)  St.  Ethelbert,  Chapel  of  Ease 

to  SS.  Peter  and  Paul. 
Opened  1905. 


BOLTON-LE-SANDS,  LANCS. 

(Liverpool).       St.     Mary     of    the 
Angels. 

Mass  was  first  said  here  in  1868 
in  a  barn  lent  by  H.  Clarkson,  Esq. 
The  present  church  was  commenced 
in  1882,  and  consecrated  by  Bishop 
Cornthwaitc,  of  Leeds,  May  6, 1884. 
The  style  is  Early  Decorated. 
Sittings  for  200.  Miss  Coulston,  of 
Hawkeshead,  defrayed  the  cost  of 
erection.  E.  Simpson,  Esq.,  of 
Bradford,  was  the  architect.  New 
schools  were  opened  January  7, 
1895. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Geo.  Braithwaite,  1868. 

„    H.  Gibson,  1888  to  date. 


BONHAM,  SOMERSETSHIRE 

(Clifton). 

The  manor  of  Bonham  came  into 
the  possession  of  the  Stourton 
family  about  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 
century.  The  mission  was  esta 
blished  there  early  in  the  eighteenth 
century  by  Lord  Mowbray  and 
Stourton.  The  Benedictines  served 
the  chapel.  The  Rev.  John  Pant 
ing  was  priest  in  1783.  Two 
years  later  the  property  was  sold 
by  Charles  Philip,  sixteenth  Lord 
Stourton,  who,  however,  reserved 
the  chapel  and  presbytery  for 
the  use  of  the  mission.  In 
September  1801,  Fr.  Jos.  Ha  war 
den,  O.S.B.,  was  appointed  to  the 
mission.  He  opened  a  school, 
which  became  highly  successful, 
but  in  1823  was  removed  '  for 
breaking  his  vows.'  He  was  finally 
reconciled  to  the  Church  on  his 
death-bed,  April  21,  1851. 

Priests  since  1823. 
Rev.  Thos.  Wassail,  O.S.B.,  1823. 

„    E.  O.  Davis,  O.S.B.,  1830. 

„    Ignatius  Stuart,  O.S.B.,  1832. 

„    James  Funny,  O.S.B.,  1888. 


90 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Kev.  Henry  Bulbeck,  O.S.B.,  1892. 
„    Jn.  Richards,  O.S.B. 
„    Thos.  Matthews,  O.S.B.,  1901 
to  date. 


BOOTLE,  LANGS  (Liverpool).  St. 
Alexander. 

The  mission  was  commenced  in 
1862,  when  Mass  was  said  in  an  old 
hay-loft.  The  church,  in  the  Gothic 
style,  was  opened  December  1867. 
E.  W.  Pugin  was  the  architect.  In 
1878  a  chapel  of  ease  had  to  be 
erected  in  Brasenose  Road,  and  six 
years  later  extensive  alterations  to 
the  church  were  completed  at  a  cost 
of  £2,600,  the  accommodation  being 
increased  so  as  to  raise  the  sittings 
from  500  to  800.  The  building 
was  redecorated  January  1898. 
A  Catholic  commercial  high  school 
was  opened  August  1887.  The 
Catholic  population  of  the  district 
was  estimated  at  7,341  in  1903. 

Priests. 
Rev.  S.  Walsh,  1862. 

„    Ed.  Powell,  1870. 

„     Michael  Canon  Beggan,  1885 
to  date. 


BOOTLE,  LANCS  (Liverpool). 
St.  James,  Marsh  Lane. 

The  mission  was  founded  in  June 
1845  in  an  old  house  on  the  canal 
bank.  In  March  1846  a  new  chapel 
was  opened  in  Marsh  Lane.  New 
schools  were  opened  1871,  and  en 
larged  at  various  times  up  to  1880. 
The  church,  presbytery,  and  schools 
were  purchased  by  the  Lancashire 
and  Yorkshire  Railway  Company  in 
1884.  In  February  1886  the  new 
church  was  opened  by  Bishop 
O'Reilly.  New  schools  for  1,200 
children  were  inaugurated  the  year 
previously.  In  1890  a  new  marble 
altar  and  Communion  rails  were 
presented  to  the  church  by  Mrs. 


Lynch,  of  Green  Lane.  A  new  Lady 
altar  and  marble  pulpit  were  erected 
in  1892  and  1893  respectively. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Hy.  Sharpies,  1845. 

Geo.  Fisher,  1846. 

J.  Anderton,  1848. 

D.  Hearne,  1849. 

Thos.  Spencer,  1851. 

Thos.  Kelly,  1862. 

P.  L.  Kelly,  1887  to  date. 


BOOTLE,  LANCS.  St.  Winefride, 
Derby  Road. 

In  1894  Messrs.  A.  Wood  and  B. 
Cain  secured  the  present  building — 
then  a  Baptist  chapel — for  the  mis 
sion.  The  church  was  opened  by 
Bishop  O'Reilly,  August  11,  1895. 
A  Catholic  seamen's  club  is  esta 
blished  in  the  mission.  The  esti 
mated  Catholic  population  is  3,400. 


BOROUGH      OF        SOUTHWAEK. 

Church  of  the  Precious  Blood,  Red 
Cross  Street,  S.E. 

Though  the  mission  is  of  recent 
foundation,  the  neighbourhood 
abounds  in  some  interesting  Catho 
lic  memories  of  post-Reformation 
times.  In  Kent  Street  (now 
Tabard  Street)  stood  in  1767  '  a 
popish  Mass-house,'  where,  on 
February  17  of  the  same  year,  the 
Rev.  John  Baptist  Moloney  was 
arrested  for  exercising  his  ecclesi 
astical  functions.  (See  Croydon.) 
In  the  early  part  of  the  last  century, 
schools  for  boys  and  girls  were 
opened  in  Glasshouse  Yard,  Gravel 
Lane,  and  Price's  Street,  Southwark 
Street.  These  schools  were  after 
wards  removed  to  Great  Guildford 
Street,  and  finally  to  Brent's  Court, 
off  the  Borough  (1872).  The  founda 
tion-stone  of  the  Church  was  laid 
by  Bishop  Butt  of  Southwark, 
Saturday,  September  27,  1891,  an4 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


91 


the  building  was  opened  in  1892. 
The  style  is  Early  Italian,  both 
the  interior  and  exterior  being  very 
plain.  The  side  buttresses  are 
pierced  to  admit  of  a  passage  way 
round  the  church.  Dimensions, 
130  ft.  by  42  ft. ;  accommodation 
for  about  700 ;  cost  of  church,  site, 
and  presbytery,  £11,000  ;  architect, 
F.  A.  Walters,  Esq.  The  congre 
gation  is  estimated  at  about  3,000. 

Priests. 
Eev.  W.  Canon  Murnane,  1891. 

„    Geo.  Newton,  1898. 

„    John  Moynihan,  1904  to  date. 


BOSCOMBE,  BOURNEMOUTH, 
HANTS  (Portsmouth).  Corpus 
Christi. 

The  mission  was  established  in 
1887,  but  the  present  church  was 
not  commenced  till  August  22, 1895. 
The  opening  took  place  the  follow 
ing  year.  The  building,  which  is 
the  gift  of  the  Baroness  Pauline 
Von  Hugel,  Miss  Mary  Yateman, 
&c.,  cost  about  £9,000.  The  style 
is  Early  English,  the  seating  ac 
commodation  being  for  about  500 
persons.  This  mission  is  under  the 
spiritual  charge  of  Fathers  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus. 


BOSTON  SPA,  YORKS  (Leeds). 

The  Institution  of  St.  John  of 
Beverley  for  the  deaf  and  dumb 
was  opened  June  9, 1870,  at  Hands- 
worth  Woodhouse  by  Mgr.  Canon 
de  Haerne,  D.D.  The  school  is 
under  the  care  of  the  Sisters  of 
Charity,  and  till  recently  was  the 
only  foundation  of  its  kind  in  Eng 
land.  The  boys  are  trained  in 
shoemaking,  printing,  tailoring,  &c., 
and  the  girls  in  needlework,  domes 
tic  work,  &c.  The  support  of  the 
place  mainly  depends  on  voluntary 
contributions,  but  by  the  Elemen 


Education  (Blind  and  Deaf 
Children)  Act  of  1893  the  school 
authorities  have  power  to  defray  cost 
of  maintenance  of  children  in  such 
institutions.  The  Rev.  E.  Dawson 
is  the  chaplain  and  secretary. 


BOSTON,  LINCOLNSHIRE  (Not 
tingham).  St.  Mary. 

The  district  was  visited  occa 
sionally  during  the  eighteenth 
century  by  Jesuit  Fathers  from 
Lincoln.  There  was  reported  to 
be  not  a  single  Catholic  in  the 
town  in  1781.  The  present  church 
was  erected  by  the  Jesuits  in  1827. 
It  is  a  plain  oblong  building  to  hold 
about  200.  The  Fathers  of  the 
Society  served  the  mission  till 
1858,  when  it  was  made  over  to 
the  Bishop  of  Nottingham.  Fr.  A. 
Chepy  was  priest  for  several  years 
after  this.  Canon  Croft,  now  of  Lin 
coln,  erected  the  stone  high  altar 
(by  penny  subscriptions).  Canon  P. 
0'Donoghue,the  present  rector,  has 
done  much  to  improve  the  mission 
by  building  a  convent  and  intro 
ducing  the  Sisters  of  St.  Paul.  The 
church  has  been  entirely  re 
decorated  and  the  schools  greatly 
enlarged.  Much  of  the  expense  of 
these  undertakings  has  been  gene 
rously  defrayed  by  Miss  Smith. 


BOURNEMOUTH,  HANTS  (Ports 
mouth).  Oratory  of  the  Sacred 
Heart. 

In  1860,  Bournemouth  was  little 
more  than  a  large  fishing  village, 
with  a  population  of  about  5,000. 
The  nearest  Catholic  mission  was 
St.  Mary's,  Poole,  Dorset.  The 
only  Catholic  resident  of  Bourne 
mouth  was  Mr.  Maurice  O'Connell, 
staff  drill  sergeant  to  the  4th  Hants 
Volunteers.  Between  1862  and 
1865,  Lady  Catherine  Petre  sup- 


92 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


ported  a  '  Catholic  Oratory  '  in  the 
Belle  Vue  Assembly  Rooms.  Mr. 
Thos.  Long  was  then  the  only 
resident  Catholic,  Mr.  O'Connell 
having  left  the  place.  In  1866-7 
Lord  Howard  of  Glossop  had  a 
private  oratory  at  '  Brunstath  '  on 
the  East  Cliff.  In  1868,  Mr.  Har- 
nett,  an  Irish  visitor,  defrayed  the 
cost  of  an  omnibus  to  take  the  few 
local  Catholics  to  Mass  on  Sundays 
at  St.  Mary's,  Poole.  In  that  year, 
however,  the  Jesuit  Fathers  opened 
a  chapel  at  Astney  Lodge,  St. 
Stephen's  Eoad.  Aided  by  Lady 
Herbert  of  Lea  and  Mr.  O'Connell, 
Fr.  Maurice  Mann,  S.J.,  selected  a 
site  on  Richmond  Hill,  where  a 
wooden  chapel  was  built,  and  this 
continued  to  serve  as  a  place  of 
Catholic  worship  till  the  opening  of 
the  Oratory  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
in  1874,  during  the  rectorate  of  Fr. 
Augustus  Dignam,  S.J.  In  1887 
Fr.  Henry  Schomberg  Kerr,  S.J., 
commenced  to  collect  funds  for  a 
new  building.  The  foundation 
stone  was  laid  in  April  1896,  and 
the  first  part  of  the  structure — chan 
cel,  side  chapels,  and  transepts  —was 
opened  in  March  1900.  The  style 
is  Early  English,  'judiciously  tem 
pered  and  lightened  by  the  delicate 
tloral  ornamentation  of  the  massive 
pillars.'  Alfred  J.  Pilkington,  Esq., 
of  Lincoln's  Inn,  was  the  architect. 
The  Catholic  population  of  Bourne 
mouth  was  estimated  at  about 
2,000  in  1900. 


the    same    year.      Fr.    F.    M.    do 
Zulueta,   S.J.,  was  the  first  priest 


in  charge. 


BOVEY  TKACEY,  DEVON  (Ply. 
mou  tli). 

This  ancient  town  derives  the 
latter  part  of  its  name  from  the 
Norman  family  of  Tracey,  one  of 
whom,  Sir  William  Tracey,  assisted 
at  the  murder  of  St.  Thomas 
a  Becket.1  He  built  the  parish 
church  as  some  sort  of  reparation 
for  the  sacrilege.  Mass  was  again 
restored  at  Bovey  Tracey  on  Sep 
tember  4,  1904,  when  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  was  offered  up  for  the  first 
time  since  the  Reformation  by 
Fr.  Moulinet,of  St.  Michael's,  New 
ton  Abbot.  The  '  chapel '  at  pre 
sent  is  only  a  hired  room,  but  it 
is  hoped  that  a  more  convenient 
structure  may  soon  take  its  place. 


BOW  COMMON,  LONDON,  E. 
(Westminster) .  The  Holy  Name 
and  Our  Lady  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

In  1891  a  temporary  chapel  was 
established  at  187-9  Devons  Road, 
under  the  care  of  Fr.  Gordon 
Thompson.  The  church  in  St. 
Paul's  Road  was  consecrated  by 
Cardinal  Vaughan  June  30,  1894. 
Congregation  about  1,500. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Gordon  Thompson,  1891. 

„    James  Carey,  1905  to  date. 


BOURNEMOUTH,  HANTS.  St. 
Mary  Immaculate,  Middle  Road, 
AVestbourne. 

This  oratory  was  first  started  at 
Lynnecourt,  Maryborough  Road, 
Bournemouth,  on  April  9,  1893, 
through  the  kindness  of  Mrs. 
Teixeira.  It  was  removed  to  its 
present  address  in  December  of 


BOW,  LONDON,  E.  (Westmin 
ster).  Our  Lady  and  St.  Catherine 
of  Sienna. 

This    handsome    church,    in  the 

1   In  allusion  to  the  ill-luck  tliat  per- 
sued  the  family  for  the  crime  of  their  an 
cestor,  an  old  rhyme  says  : 
'  All  the  Traceys 
Have  the  wind  in  their  faces  ! ' 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Early  English  style,  designed  by 
Geo.  Blount,  was  opened  by  Arch 
bishop  Manning  in  1870.  The 
congregation  is  estimated  at  about 
1,500. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Thomas  Thacker,  D.D.,  1370. 

„    Thomas  Doyle,  1899. 

„    Eobert  Kelly,  1903  to  date. 


BOXMOOR,  HEETS  (Westmin 
ster). 

The  mission  was  commenced 
here  Sunday,  October  26,  1890, 
when  Mass  was  said  for  the  first 
time  in  a  cottage,  37  St.  John's  Koad. 
The  two  rooms  on  the  ground  floor 
were  knocked  into  one,  and  the 
place  transformed  into  a  chapel, 
'  with  a  pretty  altar  surrounded  with 
hangings  and  stations  of  the  Cross.' 
These  latter  were  given  by  Fr. 
Kyan,  of  Watford.  About  twenty- 
seven  persons  were  present  at  the 
first  Mass,  which  was  said  by  the 
Eev.  Francis  Spinks,  I.S.A.  The 
Catholic  population  of  Boxmoor  in 
1890  was  about  sixty.  The  mission 
was  started  by  an  anonymous 
donor,  who  placed  £100  in  the 
hands  of  the  Rev.  II.  J.  Hardy  for 
the  purpose. 


BRACKNELL,  BERKS  (Ports 
mouth).  St.  Joseph,  Stanley  Road. 

In  the  summer  of  1881,  Mrs. 
Roche,  a  Catholic  lady,  rented  Ben- 
field  Park,  Bracknell,  the  residence 
of  the  Dowager  Lady  Downshire, 
and  converted  one  of  the  wings  of 
the  mansion  into  a  chapel  for  the 
use  of  Catholics  in  the  district. 
Before  the  opening  of  the  mission 
Mass  was  said  at  Cruchfield  House, 
Windsor  Forest,  the  seat  of  Thos. 
Hercy,  Esq.,  J.P.,  but  the  chapel 
was  discontinued  some  time  prior 
to  1880.  The  present  '  roomy  iron 


church '  was  erected  in  1894,  when 
Fr.  G.  Dolman  was  appointed  first 
resident  priest.  For  several  years, 
however,  the  mission  has  been 
served  from  Farnborough  and 
Wokingham.  On  Septuagesima 
Sunday,  1906,  the  second  Mass 
(11  A.M.),  which  had  been  discon 
tinued  for  some  time,  was  restored, 
to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  con 
gregation.  The  mission  has  recently 
been  placed  in  charge  of  the  Fran 
ciscan  Fathers  of  Ascot. 


BRADFORD,  YORKS  (Leech).  St. 
Mary. 

Early  in  the  last  century  the 
only  Catholic  in  Bradford  was  a 
publican  in  Silsbridge  Lane,  then  a 
rustic  thoroughfare.  About  1821 
some  Irish  woolcombers  settled  in 
the  place,  and  on  Sundays  they 
used  to  go  over  to  Chapel  Lane, 
Leeds,  to  attend  Mass.  As  the 
Catholics  of  Bradford  increased,  a 
priest  was  obtained  from  Ireland, 
and  Mass  said  on  Sundays  at  the 
Roebuck  Inn,  a  site  occupied  in 
1885  by  Messrs.  Brown  &  Muff's 
shop.  A  chapel  was  afterwards 
fitted  up  in  a  house  in  Well  Street, 
but  the  landlady,  a  Wesleyan,  ob 
jected,  and  it  had  to  be  removed  to  a 
house  in  Nelson  Street.  In  1824,  a 
regular  chapel  was  built  on  Stott 
Hill.  Bishop  Baines  preached  the 
opening  sermon,  on  '  Faith,  Hope, 
and  Charity.'  The  priest  of  the 
mission  was  Fr.  Brenan.  Fr.  Kay 
subsequently  enlarged  the  chapel 
and  built  the  presbytery.  In  1826, 
the  Catholics  of  Bradford  numbered 
400.  Fr.  Kay  was  succeeded  by 
Canon  Harrison.  The  Catholics  of 
the  place  were  now  in  a  flourishing 
condition,  and  a  new  church  was 
greatly  needed.  The  result  was 
that  in  1852  St.  Patrick's  Church 
was  erected,  and  a  separate  mission 


94 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


attached  to  it.  Fr.  Lynch  was 
the  first  priest.  He  was  succeeded 
next  year  by  Canon  Thos,  Harrison, 
afterwards  of  St.  George's,  York. 
His  successors  have  been :  Kev. 
Jacob  Illingworth,  1863 ;  Canon 
Motler,  1865.  For  his  work  in 
Bradford,  see  ST.  JOSEPH'S.  The 
twenty  -  first  anniversary  of  the 
opening  of  St.  Mary's  was  cele 
brated  in  August  1846.  Mass  was 
said  at  five  o'clock  for  the  benefit 
of  the  mill-workers,  and  no  fewer 
than  400  were  present.  At  ten  a 
High  Mass  was  sung  by  Bishop 
Murphy,  of  Adelaide,  Australia. 
Bishop  Briggs,  V.A.,  assisting  in 
cappa.  Eighty  priests  were  present. 
The  schools  had  then  160  day  and 
160  night  scholars. 


BRADFORD,  YORKS.   St.  Joseph's. 

In  1865  Canon  Motler  came  to 
Bradford.  In  1881  he  established 
another  mission — St.  Joseph's — and 
erected  a  school  chapel.  The  first 
stone  of  the  new  church,  built  at  a 
cost  of  £7,000,  was  laid  July  11, 
1885,  by  the  Bishop  of  Leeds.  The 
building,  a  handsome  Gothic  struc 
ture  capable  of  accommodating  800 
people,  was  opened  Wednesday, 
September  14,  1887,  by  the  Bishop 
of  Leeds  and  Northampton.  E. 
Simpson,  of  Manningham,  was  the 
architect.  The  altar  is  a  handsome 
structure  of  stone  and  alabaster. 
The  cost  of  building  the  church  was 
about  £7,000. 


BRADFORD.     St.  Peter's. 

A  school  chapel  served  from  St. 
Mary's.  The  site  of  the  old  schools 
was  acquired  by  the  Corporation 
for  £3,500,  and  new  buildings 
erected.  They  are  'plain  and 
commodious '  and  will  accommo 
date  600  pupils.  Mgr.  Motler  who 


opened  the  old  schools  thirty-twa 
years  ago,  presided  at  the  inaugura 
tion  of  the  new  ones,  September  10, 
1906. 


BRAILES,  WARWICKSHIRE  (Bir 
mingham).  SS.  Peter  and  Paul. 

The  ancient  Catholic  family  of 
Bishop  kept  the  faith  alive  here 
during  the  time  of  persecution.  Dr. 
William  Bishop,  Bishop  of  Chalce- 
don  in  partibus,  the  first  of  the 
Vicars  Apostolic  of  England,  1623-4, 
was  a  scion  of  this  house.  Fr. 
G.  Bishop  served  the  mission  of 
Bradford  from  about  1718  to  1742, 
when  he  went  to  Irnham.  It  was 
during  his  incumbency  that  the 
present  mission  was  established 
(1726).  The  chapel  was  enlarged 
in  1836. 

Priests  since  1824. 
Eev.  Jas.  Duckett. 

Wm.  Hilton,  1863. 

James  Oliver,  1871. 

Jn.  Nock,  1889. 

J.  Thompson,  1891. 

Jn.  Donworth,  1893. 

Wm.  Stoker,  1897  to  date. 


BRANKSOME,  DORSET  (Phj- 
mouth).  St.  Joseph  and  St.  Wal- 
burga. 

This  mission,  though  only  esta 
blished  recently,  may  claim  to  be 
the  representative  of  the  ancient 
one  at  Canford,  in  the  same  district. 
Sir  John  Webb  purchased  the  Can- 
ford  estate  early  in  James  I.'s 
reign  for  £14,000.  This  gentleman 
fell  under  suspicion  of  the  Govern 
ment  on  account  of  his  religion, 
and  in  consequence  endured  a  long 
imprisonment  in  London  The 
chapel  at  Canford  was  long  served 
by  the  Jesuits,  among  them  by  Fr. 
Couche,  who  was  chaplain  here  in 
1773.  The  Webb  family,  which 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


95 


later  on  became  allied  by  marriage 
with  the  unfortunate  Earl  of  Der- 
wentwater,  beheaded  in  1716,  be 
came  extinct  on  the  death  of  Sir 
Henry  Webb  in  1874.  The  church 
at  Branksome,  opened  in  1895,  was 
for  some  years  served  from  Poole. 
Fr.  J.  Carroll  is  the  first  and  present 
rector. 


BRAINTREE,  ESSEX  (West 
minster). 

On  October  2,  1897,  the  late  Car 
dinal  Vaughan  opened  the  convent 
of  the  Franciscan  nuns  at  Bridge 
House,  Bocking,  near  here.  The 
chapel,  erected  1897-8  from  designs 
by  Mr.  John  Bentley,  is  attended 
by  the  missionaries  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,  and  serves  the  mission  till 
the  opening  of  a  public  church. 


BRENTFORD,  MIDDLESEX  (West 
minster). 

The  chapel  of  St.  John  was  opened 
in  1856.  It  was  formerly  a  Dis 
senting  meeting  house,  '  devoid  of 
architectural  pretensions.'  The  first 
priest  was  Fr.  J.  Bonus,  D.D. 
Most  of  the  congregation  then  con 
sisted  of  the  Irish  labourers  on  the 
Great  Western  Railway.  Fr.  J.  H. 
Dale,  who  was  the  priest  in  1859, 
acquired  a  house  for  a  presbytery. 
The  number  of  Catholics  in  1864 
was  estimated  at  1,000.  The  same 
year  a  freehold  site  for  church, 
presbytery,  and  schools  was  bought 
for  £360.  The  temporary  chapel, 
which  was  inconveniently  situated, 
accommodated  about  100.  The  pre 
sent  church  was  opened  by  Arch 
bishop  Manning  in  1866.  The 
Catholic  population  then  =  600 ;  en 
dowment,  £J20  a  year. 
Priests. 
Rev.  J.  Bonus,  D.D.,  1856. 

„    J.  H.  Dale,  1859. 


Eev.  G.  Burder,  1861. 

„    Maurice  Clifford,  D.D.,  1863. 
„    G.  Burden,  1866. 
„    Wm.  Lloyd,  1871. 
„    Victor  Toenens,  1874. 
„    Jos.  Redman,  D.D.,  1879. 
„    Jas.  Horan. 
„    Ar.  Ryan,  1892. 
„    Jn.     Arendzen,     D.D.,    1903 
to  date. 

BRENTWOOD,  ESSEX  (West 
minster).  St.  Helen. 

Before  the  establishment  of  this 
mission,  the  chapel  was  at  Pilgrims' 
Hatch,  and  was  served  by  Fr.  Dias 
Santos.  It  was  vacant  from  1833, 
and  finally  closed  1836.  Catholics 
then  attended  Lord  Petre's  domestic 
chapel  at  Thorndon  Hall.  As  the 
inconvenience  of  this  arrangement 
was  very  great,  a  Gothic  church 
was  erected,  and  consecrated  by 
Bishop  Griffiths  October  26,  1837. 
The  present  church  (64  ft.  by  28  ft.) 
was  built  May  1860  and  1861, 
on  a  site  given  by  Lord  Petre,  who 
had  also  liberally  supported  the  old 
chapel.  The  building  was  con 
secrated  by  Archbishop  Manning 
June  15,  1869.  A  burial  ground 
adjoining  the  church  was  blessed 
by  Bishop  Griffiths  1841. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Bernard  Jarrett,  1838. 

„    Thos.  Molteno,  1842. 

„    Eugene  Reardon,  1847. 

„    P.  Cranshaw,  1853. 

„    Joseph  da  Salva  Tavares,  D.D., 
1855. 

„    Jn.  Kyne,  M.R.,  here  in  1870. 

„    Angelo  Lucas,  1881. 

„    Thos.  Norris,   M.R.,  1889   to 
date. 

BREWOOD,  STAFFS  (Birming 
ham).  St.  Mary. 

On  the  death  of  Thomas  Giffard, 
Esq.,  of  Chillington,  in  1718,  his 
widow,  Mary,  daughter  of  John 


96 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


Thimelby,  Esq.,  of  •  Irnham,  '  a 
lady  of  great  piety,'  retired  to 
Longbirch,  where  she  died  February 
13, 1753,  aged  ninety-five.  She  had 
a  chapel  in  her  house,  which  became 
the  centre  of  a  mission.  Her  first 
chaplain,  Fr.  John  Johnson,  '  a 
true  friend  of  Douay  College,'  died 
in  1739.  He  was  succeeded  by  Fr. 
J.  Hornyold,  who  in  1752  became 
Bishop  of  Philomelia  and  V.A.  of  the 
Midland  district.  From  this  time 
the  Vicars  Apostolic  of  the  district 
resided  at  Longbirch  till  1804,  when 
Bishop  Milner  removed  to  Wolver- 
hampton.  Fr.  Hubbard  in  1819 
doubled  the  size  of  the  chapel, 
which  then  measured  41  ft.  by  20  ft. 
The  number  of  communicants  at 
this  time  was  about  ninety-six.  In 
1842  it  was  resolved  to  unite  the 
two  old  missions  of  Longbirch  and 
Black  Ladies  and  build  a  new* 
chapel  at  Brewood.  The  building 
was  commenced  3843,  and  opened 
for  worship  on  the  Octave  Day  of 
Corpus  Christi  1844.  The  then 
rector,  Fr.  11.  Richmond,  died 
within  seven  days  of  the  opening, 
and  was  interred  near  the  chancel 
end  of  the  church.  He  was  suc 
ceeded  by  his  nephew,  Fr.  W.  Rich 
mond,  who  did  not  long  survive 
him. 

Priests  (at  Longbirch} . 
Rev.  J.  Johnson,  1718. 

„    J.  Hornyold,  1739. 

„    Ed.  Eyre,  1779. 

„    -  -  Wright,  1795. 

„    J.  Kirk,  D.D.,  1797. 

„  Thos.  Walsh,  1801  (Bishop 
of  Cambysopolis  1825  ;  died 
1849). 

„    Abbe  Fautrel,  1804. 

„    J.  Bowdon,  D.D.,  1806. 

,.    Robt.  Richmond,  1808. 

„    R.  Hubbard,  1811. 

„  R.  Richmond  (2nd  time), 
1819. 

„    W.  Jones,  1821. 


Rev.  R.  Hubbard  (2nd  time),  1831. 
„    J.  North,  1837. 

At  Brciuood. 
Robt.  Richmond,  1843. 
Win.  Richmond,  1843. 
James  Canon  Jones,  1849. 
Philip  Kavanagh,  1856. 
Michael  O' Sullivan,  1858. 
H.  Davey,  1861. 
Edw.  Acton,  D.D. 
James  Nary,  1874. 
Louis  Groom,  1877  to  date. 


BRIDGFORD,    NOTTINGHAM. 

The  mission  was  commenced 
on  Sunday,  October  10, 1897,  when 
Fr.  F.  C.  Hays  preached  at  the 
High  Mass  to  a  crowded  congrega 
tion.  For  some  months  after  the 
opening  of  the  mission  services 
were  conducted  on  Sundays  in  the 
Castle  Pavilion  at  Trent  Bridge. 


BRIDGNORTH,  SALOP  (Shrews 
bury)  .  St.  John. 

Mass  was  said  here  for  the  first 
time  since  the  Reformation  on 
Sunday,  March  11, 1849,  in  a  house 
opposite  the  Cross  Keys  Tavern, 
in  High  Street.  The  celebrant  was 
Fr.  P.  Grey,  O.M.I.,  who  also 
preached  at  the  Vespers  in  the 
evening.  The  chapel  on  this 
occasion  is  described  as  being 
'  crowded  to  excess.'  Fr.  Grey 
resided  at  Aldenham  Park,  as  there 
was  no  presbytery  at  Bridgnorth. 
The  new  chapel  was  completed  in 
1857,  and  was  well  filled  Sunday 
after  Sunday.  Fr.  F.  O'Neill  was 
the  priest  then.  The  Bishop  of 
Shrewsbury  confirmed  fifty-four 
persons  here  in  October  1892,  and 
spoke  of  the  necessity  for  building 
a  new  church.  In  four  years  this  de 
sirable  end  was  accomplished,  the 
Church  of  St.  John  being  opened 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


97 


in   1896.     The   schools   were    also 
enlarged  at  the  same  time. 

Priests. 
Eev.   F.  O'Neill,  1855. 

Jn.  O'Callaghan,  1871. 

Michael  Brady,  1872. 

Pat  O'Eeilly,  1874. 

T.  A.  Crowther,  1875. 

Jn.  O'Callaghan,  1877. 

J.  G.  Walsh,  1883. 

Aug.    Tremmery,     1898     to 
date. 


BRIDGEWATER,  SOMERSET 

(Clifton).     St.     Joseph     of     Ari- 
mathea. 

The  old  church,  in  honour  of  the 
traditional  founder  of  Glastonbury 
Abbey,  was  opened  February  24, 
1846,  by  Bishop  Baggs.  For 
several  years  Mass  was  said  here 
only  once  a  week.  In  March  1852 
Fr.  Thos.  Booker  was  appointed 
resident  priest.  The  old  building 
was  superseded  by  the  present 
structure,  commenced  in  October 
1881,  and  opened  the  following 
year.  Fr.  C.  Kennard,  of  Canning- 
ton,  laid  the  foundation  stone. 

Priests. 
Bev.  Thos.  Canon  Booker,  1852. 

„    John  Bouvier,  1868. 

„    John  Corbishley,  1877. 

„    John  Archdeacon,  1879. 

„    Alex.  Scoles,  1882. 

„    Thos.  O'Meara,  1892. 

„    B.    Canon  Wadman,  1895  to 
date. 


BRIDLINGTON  QUAY,  EAST 
RIDING,  YORKS  (Middlesbrough). 
Our  Lady  and  St.  Peter. 

Mass  was  said  here  in  the 
summer  of  1883.  The  chapel  was 
served  from  Driflield  by  Fr.  O'Hal- 
loran.  Canon  Fisher,  Frs.  J. 


Murphy  and  Connery  also  laboured 
here.  The  present  church,  in  the 
Early  Gothic  style,  was  commenced 
in  August  1893,  and  opened  1894. 
At  each  end  of  the  north  and  south 
aisles  is  a  chapel,  dedicated  to  the 
Sacred  Heart  and  Our  Lady  re 
spectively.  The  accommodation  of 
the  building  is  for  300  persons. 
Mrs.  Mousley  was  the  chief  bene 
factress  to  the  church. 


BRIDPORT,  DORSET  (Plymouth). 
St.  Mary  and  St.  Catherine. 

The  good  example  given  by  the 
few  local  Catholics  in  attending 
Mass  on  Sundays  at  Chidiock, 
greatly  prepossessed  their  fellow 
townsmen  in  their  favour.  This 
good  opinion  was  further  height 
ened  by  a  discussion  held  at  the 
Town  Hall  (June  15,  1841),  when 
Frs.  Wm.  Bond,  Wm.  Vaughan, 
and  F.  M'Donnell  explained  the 
faith  of  Catholics  to  over  600 
'  influential  persons.'  The  stone  of 
the  church  was  laid  September  8, 
1845,  and  the  building  was  opened 
by  Bishop  Ullatborne,  V.A.W.D., 
July  1,  1846.  The  Hon.  W.  Weld, 
Col.  McDonnel,  and  Messrs.  Thos. 
and  Wm.  Tucker  were  great 
benefactors  to  the  mission,  which 
for  some  years  was  served  in  con 
junction  with  Chidiock. 

Priests. 
Bev.  Jn.  Dawson,  1863. 

„     Bemigius    Canon    Debbaudt, 
1870. 

„     Thos.  Skuse,  1902  to  date. 


BRIERLY  HILL,  STAFFS  (Bir 
mingham).  St.  Mary. 

The  mission  was  established 
1854,  and  for  several  years  served 
from  Stourbridge.  The  growth  of 

H 


98 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


the  congregation  made  a  church 
imperative,  and  the  first  stone  of 
the  present  building  was  laid  in 
1872  and  opened  by  Bishop  Ulla- 
thorne  October  15,  1873.  Style, 
Early  English  ;  size,  80  ft.  by  30  ft.  ; 
seating  for  400.  A  pulpit  of  Caen 
stone  was  presented  by  J.  F.  Has- 
kew,  Esq.,  and  a  font  by  Mr.  W. 
Bright.  Architect,  E.  W.  Pugin. 

Priests. 
Eev.  James  Oliver,  1860. 

Thos.  Eevill,  here  in  1871. 

Stephen  Johnson,  1874. 

Edward  Plaetsir,  1877. 

Thos.  Whelahan,  1882. 

P.  Eoskell,  1888. 

J.  Ellis,  1902  to  date. 


BRIERFIELD,    LANCS  (Salford). 
The  Holy  Trinity. 

The  mission  was  established  from 
Nelson  in  1896. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Thos.  Chronnell,  1 896. 

,,     James  Youldcn,  1903  to  date. 


BRIGG,  LINCOLNSHIRE  (Not 
tingham).  The  Immaculate  Heart 
of  Mary. 

The  Webb  family  had  a  residence 
at  Worlaby,  near  Brigg.  Their 
chapel  was  served  by  the  Francis 
cans.  Fr.  Anthony  Caley,  O.S.F., 
was  here  1783,  and  Fr.  Ignatius 
Casemore,  O.S.F.,  about  1788-9. 
The  altar  picture  belonging  to  the 
chapel  was  afterwards  removed  to 
Gainsborough.  (See  '  The  Francis 
cans  in  England,  1600-1850,'  by 
Fr.  Thaddeus,  O.F.M.)  A  public 
chapel  at  Brigg  was  opened  1815. 
About  1874  Valentine  Carey- El wes, 
Esq.,  on  his  conversion  to  the  Faith, 


turned  the  stable  of  his  residence, 
Billing  Hall,  Brigg,  into  a  chapel 
and  opened  it  to  the  public. 

Priests. 
Eev.  J.  Mill,  1825. 

„    McDermott,  1838. 

„    Eichard  Wall,  1841. 

,,    James  Egan,  1843. 

„    J.  Naghten,  1849. 

„  H.  Swale,  1856 ;  served  from 
Gainsborough  1862  to  after 
1875. 

„    Julian  Le  Quintrec,  1877. 

„    Patrick  Conaty,  1882. 

„    Charles  Carrigy,  1885. 

„    Michael  Kirby',  1889. 

,,    John  Macdonnell,  1901. 

„    J.  Alyn  Wenharn,  1904. 


BRIGHOUSE,  YORKS  (Leeds). 
St.  Joseph. 

This  mission  was  served  from 
Huddersfield  from  1867  to  about 
1878,  when  Fr.  Alfred  Watson  was 
appointed  as  resident  priest.  In 
1882  (May)  the  chapel— opened 
July  1879— was  threatened  by  an 
i  anti-Irish  mob  enraged  at  the 
recent  murder  of  Lord  F.  Caven 
dish  and  Mr.  Burke  in  the  Phoenix 
Park,  Dublin,  but  happily  no  dam 
age  was  done.  The  Catholic  popu 
lation  of  the  district  was  estimated 
at  500  in  1877.  Fr.  Thos.  Bradley 
is  the  present  rector. 


BRIGHTON,  SUSSEX  (Southward). 
St.  John  the  Baptist. 

The  mere  fishing  village  of 
'  Brighthelm stone,'  owing  to  the 
patronage  of  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
afterwards  George  IV.,  became 
'  London-by-the-Sea '  between  1784 
And  1820.  Before  the  establish 
ment  of  the  mission  in  1799,  the 
few  Catholics  of  the  place  were 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC    MISSIONS 


attended  occasionally  by  the  priest 
of  the  ancient  mission  of  West 
Grinstead,  and  by  the  chaplain  of 
the  Duke  of  Norfolk  when  his 
Grace  accompanied  the  Prince  to 
Brighton.1 

In  1799  Fr.  W.  Barnes  was  ap 
pointed  resident  Catholic  priest  at 
Brighton  by  Bishop  Douglas,  V.  A.L. 
In  1804  the  Abbe,  J.  Mouchel,  an 
emigre,  took  charge  of  the  humble 
chapel  in  Middle  Street.  The  Rev. 
Dr.  Bew,  of  Oscott,  was  rector  from 
1811  till  1817,  when  Fr.  E.  Cullen 
was  appointed.  He  was  priest  of 
the  mission  till  his  death  in  1850. 

In  1822  a  chapel  was  erected  in 
the  High  Street,  and  continued  to 
be  the  Catholic  place  of  worship  till 
1835,  when  the  present  church  was 
consecrated  and  opened  by  Bishop 
Griffiths.  The  style  is  Classical ; 
the  marble  altar  and  handsome 
altar  piece  were  the  gift  of  the  Earl 
of  Egremont.  Mrs.  FitzHerbert, 
the  lawful  wife  of  George  IV.,  lies 
buried  in  this  church,  to  which  she 
was  a  great  benefactress.  Her 
death  took  place  at  Brighton  in 
1837.  The  schools  in  connection 
with  the  mission  were  established 
by  Canon  Eymer,  who  died  at 
Fontainebleau  in  1889.  The  church 
was  lengthened  in  1866,  and  altar 
rails  and  pulpit  erected  by  Mgr. 
Johnston,  the  present  incumbent, 
in  1892.  The  Catholic  population 
of  the  mission  numbered  about 
1,000  in  1902. 


BRIGHTON,  SUSSEX.  St.  Mary 
Magdalen's,  Upper  North  Street. 

1  This  was  Charles,  eleventh  Duke  of 
Norfolk,  born  1746.  He  '  conformed  to 
the  Established  Church '  in  1780  to  take 
his  seat  in  the  House  of  Lords,  where 
he  became  leader  of  the  Whig  peers.  He 
rebuilt  a  greater  part  of  Arundel  Castle. 
At  his  death  in  1815  he  was  reconciled 
to  the  Church. 


This,  the  second  Brighton  mis 
sion,  was  started  in  1856  by  Fr.  G. 
Oldharn,  in  a  house  called  Sillwood 
Lodge,  the  residence  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Munster.  Four  years  later  the 
church  was  built  on  the  present  site. 
The  style  is  Transitional  Gothic  ; 
the  tower  and  spire  were  added  in 
1863.  Fr.  Oldham  supplied  most 
of  the  building  fund,  and  the  church 
is  provided  with  three  altars,  and 
a  handsome  font — the  gift  of  the 
late  Captain  Roe.  Canon  Bamber, 
who  was  priest  here  in  1885,  was 
succeeded  by  the  present  rector, 
Provost  Moore. 


BRIGHTON,  SUSSEX.  St.  Joseph's, 
Elm  Grove. 

The  large  number  of  Catholic 
soldiers  in  the  Preston  barracks 
made  this  mission  necessary.  A 
room  in  a  small  house  in  Elm 
Grove  was  fitted  up  as  chapel  and 
opened  April  20,  1866.  'A  rough 
brick  building '  was  erected  shortly 
afterwards,  and  used  for  worship 
till  the  opening  of  the  present  fine 
fourteenth-century  Gothic  church 
on  a  site  given  by  Mr.  Munster. 
Mrs.  Shelliee  and  Mrs.  Haddock 
defrayed  the  cost  of  erection.  The 
building  was  opened  May  13,  1869. 
Number  of  congregation  about  850 
(1906). 

Priests. 
Eev.  Neil  Crispin,  1866. 

„    Nicholas  Broder,  1873. 

„    Einile  du  Plerny,  1888. 

„    Joseph  Livesey,  1899. 

„    G.  B.  Tatum,  M.A.,  1905    to 
date. 


BRIGHTON,  SUSSEX.    The  Sacred 
Heart,  Norton  Road,  Hove. 

This   church  was    partially   fin- 

H2 


100 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


ished  in  1881,  and  opened  by  Car 
dinal  Manning  on  June  14  of  the 
same  year.  The  mission  owes  its 
foundation  to  a  legacy  of  £6,000  left 
by  Fr.  Geo.  Oldham,  of  St.  Mary 
Magdalen's,  who  died  in  1875.  By 
the  munificence  of  the  late  Charles 
Willock  Dawes,  Esq.,  the  building 
was  completed  in  October  1887. 
The  church  furniture  and  handsome 
organ  were  presented  by  the  same 
generous  benefactor.  The  style 
of  the  edifice  is  thirteenth-century 
Gothic.  The  high  altar  is  the  gift 
of  Madame  de  Laski.  Fr.  S.  A. 
Donnelly,  the  first  priest,  was  suc 
ceeded  by  the  present  rector,  Mgr. 
James  Connelly. 


BRINDLE,  GREGSON  LANE, 
PRESTON,  LANGS  (Liverpool}.  St. 
Joseph. 

The    Gerard    family   established 
the  mission  about  1680,  and  placed 
it  under  the  Benedictines,  by  whom 
it    has   since   been  conducted.     A 
chapel  was  built  1780,  and  greatly    j 
enlarged    1843.       In    1845    much    | 
scandal  was  caused  by  one  of  the 
congregation,  Mr.  Eastwood,   J.P.,    | 
noisily  refusing   to  pay  the  penny    j 
entrance   fee    charged  for  the  sup-    | 
port    of  the   chapel.     The    matter 
finally    came    before    Mr.    Justice 
Wightman    at    the    Lancaster   As 
sizes,  and  his  lordship  upheld  the    ; 
legality  of  the  admission  charge  on    ' 
the  ground  that  a  clergyman  has    j 
the   right  to  make  regulations  for    j 
the  conduct  of  his  place  of  worship. 
In  1896  the  Lady  chapel  was  en 
larged    and    a    new   altar   erected    | 
(October).        Fr.    Michael    Brown,    j 
O.S.B.,  is  the  present  rector. 


BRISTOL  (Clifton}. 

Sketch  of  recent  post-Reforma 
tion  Catholicity,  St.  Joseph's, 
Trenchard  Street.— A.  Mass-house 
was  opened  here  in  1686,  but  at  the 
Revolution  the  priest  was  brought 
to  trial  at  the  assizes.  Owing  to  the 
absence  of  the  Lord  Chief  Justice,  Sir 
Edward  Herbert,  he  was  remanded 
to  the  King's  Bench  prison.  In 
1743  Messrs.  Evans  &  Co.  allowed 
their  Flemish  zinc  workers  the 
exercise  of  their  religion.  The 
priest  in  Bristol  at  this  time  was 
Fr.  J.  Lallart,  S.J.  He  died  at  Bou 
logne  the  same  year,  aged  fifty-one. 
His  successor,  Fr.  Scudamore,  fitted 
up  a  chapel  in  an  upper  room  at 
Hooks  Mills  on  Ashley  Down. 
After  a  time  the  chapel  was  re 
moved  to  St.  James's  Back.  This 
excellent  priest  died  April  8,  1778, 
aged  eighty-two.  The  register  was 
started  about  1777  by  his  assistant, 
Fr.  Jn.  Fontaine.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Fr.  Thos.  Brewer,  1780.  A  chapel 
was  erected  by  the  next  priest, 
Fr.  liobert  Plowden,  in  Trenchard 
Street  June  27, 1790.  Schools  were 
built  about  the  same  time  at  a  cost 
of  £1,000.  He  had  a  dispute  with 
Bishop  Collingridge,  V.A.W.D.,  over 
an  alleged  want  of  orthodoxy  in 
one  of  his  lordship's  pastorals, 
1815,  and  left  the  district  for  Wap- 
penbury,  where  Bishop  Milner  gave 
him  the  charge  of  the  mission. 
The  priests  at  Trenchard  Street  after 
this  were  :  Rev.  James  Tate,  who, 
like  Fr.  Plowden,  had  a  dispute 
with  the  bishop,  on  the  subject  of 
an  appointment  to  a  mission,  and 
left  the  vicariate  1822  ;  John 
Williams,  1821  ;  John  Burke, 
1823;  Francis  Edgeworth,  O.S.F., 
1825  ;  William  Rowe,  S.J.,  1828  ; 
Patrick  O'Ferrall,  O.S.F.,  1830 
(these  last  two  priests  assisted  Fr. 
Edgeworth) ;  Rev.  James  Dawson, 
1842;  Thomas  Rooker,  1843. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


101 


When  Bishop  Ullathorne  became 
V.A.W.D.  he  wrote  to  Fr.  Lythgoe, 
Provincial  S.J.,  requesting  him  to 
again  take  over  the  Trenchard 
Street  mission,  which  had  been 
withdrawn  from  the  care  of  the 
Jesuits  by  Bishop  Baines,  1829- 
30.  Fr.  George  Bampton,  S.  J.,  was 
therefore  sent  down  as  rector  from 
October  31,  1847,  but  was  removed 
to  Farm  Street,  London,  December 
6,  1849.  Fr.  William  Johnston 
was  his  successor  at  Trenchard 
Street.  He  remained  down  to 
about  1860.  The  mission  was 
attached  to  St.  Mary's  on  the  Quay 
1862.  Fr.  Peter  Sherlock,  S.J., 
was  rector  1863.  The  mission  of 
Sfc.  Joseph's,  Trenchard  Street,  was 
shortly  afterwards  given  up,  owing 
to  the  opening  of  other  churches 
and  chapels,  which  rendered  its 
continued  existence  no  longer 
necessary. 


BRISTOL.  St.  Mary  on  the  Quay. 
About  1842  an  Irvingite  church 
came  into  the  market,  and  was  pur 
chased  by  Fr.  F.  O'Ferrall,  of  St. 
Joseph's,  Trenchard  Street.  The 
building  was  opened  for  Catholic 
worship  by  Bishop  Baines,  V.A., 
July  5,  1843.  A  gallery  was  added 
in  July  1845.  The  mission  has 
been  served  by  the  Jesuits  from 
1860. 

Priests. 
Rev.  P.  O'Ferrall,  1843. 

Mgr.  Canon  English,  1857. 

Wm.  Johnson,  1860. 

Matthew  McCann,  18G3. 

Ignatius  Grant,  1866. 

Thos.  Dykes,  1871. 

Thos.  Hill,  1873-93. 

Thos.  Greenan,  1893. 

Thos.  Brown,  1897. 

Francis  Grene,  1901  to  date. 


BRISTOL.     St.  Nicholas,  Penny- 
well  Eoad. 

Founded  by  the  Augustinians, 
and  opened  September  21,  1850. 
At  this  time  only  the  nave  was 
complete.  A  belfry  and  north  and 
south  aisles  were  added  1861.  A 
chancel  was  added  in  October  1873, 
bringing  the  accommodation  of  the 
building  up  to  700.  E.  Hansom 
was  the  architect.  During  the 
rectorate  of  Canon  Coxon,  vestries 
have  been  added  to  the  church  and 
the  schools  improved.  The  church, 
having  been  freed  from  debt,  was 
consecrated  by  Cardinal  Vaughan 
in  1895.  Present  number  of  con 
gregation  about  700. 
Priests. 
Rev.  N.  O'Donnell,  1849. 

„    Canon  Illingworth,  1853. 

„    Thos.  Hoskins,  1857-73. 

„    Septimus  Canon  Coxon,  1873, 
to  date. 


BRIXTON,     S.W.      (Southward). 
Corpus  Christi. 

The  mission  was  opened  on  Sun 
day,  June  2,  1881.     The  chapel  was 
in  the   presbytery — a   fine    roomy 
mansion   in    the   main    road  near 
j    Hayter    Road.     Brixton   was    the 
|    tenth   new  mission  carved  out  of 
|    the  old    St.  George's   district.     In 
!    July  1886  the    first    stone    of    the 
new   church   was    laid  by   Bishop 
Butt,  of  Southwark.     The  style  of 
the  church  is  of  the  Early  Second 
|    Pointed  period.     The  plan  includes 
a   nave,  aisles,    side  chapels,  bap 
tistery,  and  sacristy,  but  only  the 
sanctuary    and   transept    are   now 
(1904)  complete.    The  stained-glass 
windows,  put    in    by   Fr.  E.  Van 
Doorne,  are  very  rich.   The  present 
incumbent,  Fr.  W.  Curran,  is  mak 
ing  great    efforts   to    complete  the 
building.     The    opening  of  a   por- 


102 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


tion  of  the  church  took  place  in 
June  1887.  The  number  of  Catho- 
lics  at  Brixton  amounted  that  year 
to  1,000.  In  1880  it  was  only 
about  75. 


BROADBOTTOM,  DEEBYSHIRE 
(Nottingham).  The  Immaculate 
Conception. 

Opened  September  1896  by  Mgr. 
Sabela.     The  site  of  the  building,    j 
which  affords   sitting  accommoda-    | 
tion   for   about    300   persons,    was    I 
presented     by    Lord     Howard    of 
Glossop.     The  day  of  the  opening 
was  marked  by  a  public  procession    j 
of  Catholic  guilds,  &c.,  of  Hadfield    j 
and    vicinity.     Great    numbers    of 
protestants   were    present    in    the 
church,  where  a  '  short  and  appro-    ! 
priatc  address '    was    delivered   by    • 
Fr.    Murphy.     A   fine  pipe    organ 
was    presented   to    the    church    at    i 
the  close  of  the  ceremony  by  Mr.    ! 
Wyatt,  of  Gamesley,   a  protestant    i 
gentleman,  who    also    offered    the    i 
gratuitous  services  of  an  organist. 


BROADSTAIRS,  KENT.    Our  Lady 
Star  of  the  Sea. 

On  Thursday,  August  2,  1888,  an 
iron  chapel  was  opened  at  Broad- 
stairs  to  take  the  place  of  a  small 
chapel  attached  to  a  private  re 
sidence  (Laurel  House),  started  j 
1879.  A  freehold  site  having  been  ! 
given  to  the  Benedictines  of  Rams- 
gate,  who  serve  the  mission,  they 
at  once  erected  the  above-men 
tioned  chapel  near  the  railway 
station.  Fr.  Swithbert  Palmer,  : 
O.S.B.,  sang  the  first  Mass  in  the 
new  structure,  the  sermon  being 
preached  by  Fr.  Elphege  Power, 
O.S.B.  The  mission  is  served  from 
St.  Augustine's,  Ramsgate. 


BROADWAY,  WORCESTERSHIRE 
(Birmingham).  St.  Saviour's  Re 
treat. 

This  mission  was  established  in 
1827-8  by  Fr.  John  Augustine 
Birdsall,  O.S.B.,  who  founded  the 
mission  at  Cheltenham  1809.  A 
burial  ground,  which  was  laid  out 
at  the  same  time  as  the  church  was 
erected,  proved  a  great  boon  to 
local  Catholics  as  previously  the 
deceased  faithful  had  to  be  buried 
in  protestant  churchyards  with  the 
protestant  service.  In  1850  the 
Passionists  took  over  the  mission, 
where  they  erected  a  monastery. 

Priests. 

Rev.  A.  T.  Birdsall,  1827. 
„    C.  F.  Kershaw,  1839. 
„    Thos.  Bonney,  1841. 
,,    Jas.  Kendal,  1845. 
„    F.  Vincent,  1851. 
„    F.  Raphael.  1855. 
,,    Bernard  O'Loughlin,  1857. 
„    F.  Salvian  Nardocci,  1863. 
„    F.  Alban  Cowley,  1867. 
Alph.  O'Neill,  1874. 
Raymund  Disano,  1877. 
Michael  Watts  Russell,  1879. 
Gregory  Callaghan,  1882. 
Reginald  Magee,  1885. 
Raymund  Disano,  1888. 
Chrysostom  Rothwell,  1890. 
Rd.  Foy,  1897. 
Malachy  Gavin,  1900. 
Michael  Watts  Russell,   1903 
to  date. 


BROCKLEY,  LONDON,  S.E.  (South- 
wark).  St.  Mary  Magdalen. 

Thirty-five  years  ago  Brockley 
was  a  rural  Kentish  suburb.  Now 
it  is  a  region  of  villas.  About  1864 
the  large  cemetery  was  opened,  and 
a  part  of  this  was  reserved  for 
Catholics.  Sir  Stuart  Knill,  Bart., 
late  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  built 
the  handsome  mortuary  chapel  in 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


103 


the  Catholic  reserve,  but  no  mission 
was  established  at  Brockley  till 
1895,  when  the  fine  schools  were 
opened  by  Bishop  Butt  (September). 
In  1896  the  children  numbered  250. 
A  room  in  the  school  fitted  up  as  a 
chapel  served  for  Mass  on  Sundays. 
By  the  kindness  of  Bishop  Bourne 
a  sum  of  money  was  advanced 
sufficient  to  raise  the  structure 
which  was  opened  in  the  Comer  - 
ford  Boad  on  March  16,  1899. 
Bishop  Bourne  preached  the  in 
augural  sermon,  the  High  Mass 
being  sung  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Pario.  The  style  of  the  building  is 
Roman,  the  accommodation  being 
for  about  300.  Over  the  high  altar 
is  a  fine  copy  of  Guido  Reni's 
picture  of  '  Our  Lady  of  the  Seven 
Dolours.'  The  large  crucifix  near 
the  entrance  is  in  memory  of  Mrs. 
Wilson.  Fr.  J.  Sprankling,  the  first 
priest  of  the  mission,  did  much  to 
work  up  local  Catholicity  to  its 
present  high  pitch  of  excellence. 
He  was  called  to  St.  George's 
Cathedral,  Southwark,  in  June 
1904  as  administrator.  Fr.  J. 
Hayes,  now  of  Forest  Hill,  was  his 
successor. 


BROMLEY,  KENT  (Soutliwar~k}. 
St.  Joseph. 

The  Sisters  of  the  Holy  Trinity 
started  a  convent  at  '  Freelands,' 
the  Dower  House  of  the  Sundridge 
Park  property,  a  spacious  red-brick 
Georgian  mansion.  On  Sunday, 
March  17,  1889,  the  little  chapel  of 
the  convent  was  formally  opened 
for  public  worship,  Mass  being  said 
by  Fr.  O'Meara.  Mgr.  Goddard, 
of  Chiselhurst,  preached  in  the 
afternoon. 

Priests. 
Rev.  J.  O'Meara,  1889. 

„    Thos.  Ford,  1895  to  date. 


BROMPTON,  LONDON,  S.W.  (West 
minster}.  The  Oratory  of  St.  Philip 
Neri. 

The    Fathers  of   the  Oratory  of 
St.  Philip    Neri  commenced  their 
London  labours  in  a  chapel  situated 
in   King   William    Street,    Strand, 
during   the   course  of  1849.      The 
community   comprised    the    Revs. 
F.  W.  Faber,  J.  D.  Dalgairns,  R.  M. 
Stanton,  W.  A.   Hutchison,  T.  F. 
Knox,  F.   F.  Wells.      Most  if  not 
all  of  these   were  converts  of  the 
'  Oxford  Movement,'  and  their  dis 
courses  on    the    doctrines    of    the 
Catholic    Church    drew    enormous 
crowds  of  listeners,  which  included 
some    of    the    most    distinguished 
personages  of  the  day,  as  Thackeray, 
Charlotte  Bronte,  &c.     In  1853  the 
Fathers  left  King  William   Street 
for  Brompton,  where,  on  March  22, 
1854,    a    temporary   but    spacious 
church    of  brick   was    opened    for 
worship.     Of  the    several   chapels, 
that  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen,    con 
taining  the  relics  of  St.  Eutropius, 
martyr,  was  perhaps  the  most  note 
worthy.      In   July    1856,  the   dis 
trict  was  canonically  erected  into  a 
mission.     The   site  chosen  for  the 
present  church  was  a  commanding 
one  in  the  Brompton  Road,  on  a 
spot  occupied  at  that  time  by  Blem- 
mel  House,  a  large  boarding  school 
kept   by   Mr.    Pollard.      The   plan 
selected  was  that  of  Mr.  Herbert 
Gribble,  the  design  of  the  building 
being  that  of   a  cruciform  Classic 
church,    somewhat  after  the  style 
of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome.     The  cere 
mony  of  consecration    took    place 
April  16,  1884.     The  gathering  on 
this   occasion  was  a  notable   one, 
comprising  the  Cardinals  Manning 
and   Newman,   the    Catholic  hier 
archy  of  England,  and  representa 
tives  of  the  leading  laity.    Until  the 
opening  of  the  Westminster  Cathe 
dral   the   Oratory   was   the  largest 


104 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Catholic  church  erected  in  this 
country  since  the  breach  with  the 
Holy  See.  The  noble  facade  of  the 
building  was  completed  in  1901. 
The  interior  of  the  Oratory  is  one 
of  extreme  richness,  caused  by  the 
harmonious  blending  of  the  varie 
gated  marbles  used  for  the  several 
columns  and  side  altars.  The  high 
altar  is  adorned  on  either  side 
by  frescoes,  one  representing  the 
famous  saluting  of  the  students  of 
the  English  College,  Borne,  by  St. 
Philip  Neri,  and  the  other  the  death 
of  the  saint.  Among  the  other 
notable  features  of  the  church  are 
the  life-sized  Calvary  group,  the 
Chapels  of  Our  Lady  and  the  Sacred 
Heart,  &c.  Adjoining  the  church 
is  the  residence  of  the  Fathers  of 
the  Oratory,  famous  for  its  valuable 
and  extensive  library. 


BROMPTON  (NEW),  CHATHAM, 
KENT  (Southward}.  Our  Lady. 

The  church  was  opened  Tuesday, 
May  12,  1896,  by  Bishop  Bourne, 
of  Southwark.  The  sermon  was 
preached  by  Mgr.  J.  Vaughan. 
Among  those  present  on  this  occa 
sion  was  the  late  Admiral  Andoe, 
who,  in  responding  for  the  United 
Service  at  the  luncheon  after  the 
ceremony,  spoke  of  the  general  fair 
treatment  meted  out  to  Catholics 
in  the  Navy.  Fr.  T.  McMahon  is 
the  first  rector. 


BROMPTON  (OLD),  CHATHAM, 
KENT  (Southward).  St.  Paulinus. 

The  founder  of  this  mission  was 
Fr.  Plunkett,  who  in  1793  opened 
a  small  chapel  which  is  described 
as  being  '  a  very  fair,  creditable 
building  for  Catholics  of  that  day.' 
About  1805  it  was  pulled  down  to 


make  way  for  the  artillery  barracks, 
but  with  the  money  given  by 
Government  in  compensation  a 
chapel  was  built  at  the  back  of  two 
small  houses  that  formed  the 
presbytery.  By  subsequent  en 
largements  the  building  was  made 
to  hold  about  350  persons.  In 
1857  the  great  increase  of  Catho 
licity  in  Chatham  and  the  large 
number  of  Catholic  soldiers  always 
in  garrison,  made  it  necessary  to 
erect  in  that  town  a  separate  mis 
sion  (q.v.). 

The  Abbe  Salmon,  an  emigre, 
who  succeeded  Fr.  Plunkett  at  Old 
Brompton  about  1802,  was  rector 
till  1830.  He  did  a  great  work 
among  his  fellow-countrymen,  the 
French  prisoners  of  war,  who  were 
confined  at  Chatham  and  em 
ployed  on  fort  -  building.  The 
various  Irish  regiments  stationed 
at  Chatham  during  the  long  French 
war  that  ended  in  1815,  also  came 
in  for  a  good  share  of  the  worthy 
priest's  ministrations,  though  he 
never  could  master  the  spelling  of 
Irish  surnames,  as  the  baptismal 
and  other  registers  of  the  church 
prove.  On  his  death  in  1830  he 
was  succeeded  by  Fr.  John  Meany. 
St.  Paulinus's  Church  was  served 
from  Chatham  1875,  and  till  1892, 
when  Fr.  W.  Alton  was  rector. 
Fr.  Bolger  was  rector  1902  and 
subsequently. 


BROMSGROVE,  WORCESTER- 
SHIRE  (Birmingham). 

The  church  of  St.  Peter,  in  the 
Worcester  Road,  Bromsgrove,  was 
opened  in  September  18G2.  The 
building  is  oblong,  with  apsidal  east 
end.  The  furniture,  altar,  candle 
sticks,  and  crucifix  were  brought 
from  the  Shrewsbury  Chapel  at 
Alton  Towers.  The  chapel  can 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


105 


accommodate  about  400  persons. 
Adjoining  the  chapel  is  the  school, 
and  also  presbytery.  The  Kev.  J. 
Fanning  was  the  first  priest  of  the 
mission. 

Priests. 
Rev.  J.  Fanning,  1862. 

„    Geo.  Canon  Jeffries,  here   in 
1871. 

„    Hy.  Davy,  1870. 

,,    James  Canon  O'Hanlon,  D.D. 


BROOMS,    LEADGATE,    DURHAM 

(Hexliain    and    Newcastle).       SS. 
Mary  and  Joseph. 

Pontop  Hall,  the  residence  of  the 
Swinburnes,  is  regarded  as  '  the 
cradle  of  Catholicity  in  these  parts.' 
Fr.  Leckonby,  S.J.,  was  chaplain 
here  in  1748,  and  for  more  than 
fifty  years  afterwards  '  an  old- 
fashioned  congregation '  .met  for 
Mass  and  prayer  in  an  upper  room 
of  the  Hall.  In  1794  sixteen 
French  emigre  priests  settled  in 
the  town,  where  a  presbytery  was 
generously  erected  for  them  by  Sir 
John  Lawson,  Bart.,  Fr.  Eyre,  Mr. 
Smith,  and  the  Silvertop  family. 
In  1802  the  first  public  chapel  was 
erected.  Dr.  Lingard,  the  historian, 
ministered  here  for  a  time.  The 
enormous  growth  of  the  congrega 
tion  owing  to  the  foundation  and 
development  of  the  Consett  Iron 
works  about  1850,  made  the  enlarge 
ment  of  the  chapel  an  absolute 
necessity.  This  addition  forms  the 
vestry  of  the  present  Romanesque 
church,  opened  by  Bishop  Chadwick, 
of  Hexham,  October  25,  1869.  The 
districts  of  Blackhill,  Byer  Moor, 
and  Stanley,  formerly  served  from 
Brooms,  are  now  independent  mis 
sions,  the  Catholic  population  of 
the  four  church  areas  being  9,000 
in  1896. 


Priests,  Pontfyp  Hall. 
Rev.  —  Leckonby,  S.J.,  1748. 
„    Jas.  Johnson,  1778. 
„    Hy.  Rutter,  1791. 
,,    Thos.  Eyre,  1791-1803. 
During    this  time    there    were 

also : — 

Rev.  Jn.  Worswick,  1792. 
„    Thos.  Storey,  1794. 
„    Nicholas  Gilbert,  1794-5. 
„    Thos.  Smith,  1795. 
„    John  Lingard,  1796-1803. 

Priests  at  Brooms. 
Rev.  John  Bell,  1803-6. 
„    Jn.  Yates,  1824. 
„    Wm.  Fletcher,  1828. 
„    Thos.  Gillet,  1838. 
„    Jn.  Ward,  1845. 
„    Henry  Newsham,  1845. 
„    Robt.  Smith,  1846. 
„    Francis  Canon  Kearney,  1849- 

90. 

„    Eugene  McGarrity,  1890. 
,,    Augustine    Magill,     1892,   to 
date. 


BROTTON  IN  CLEVELAND, 
YORKS,  NORTH  RIDING  (Middles 
brough).  St.  Anthony. 

Mission  opened  1895  in  a  room 
over  a  joiner's  shop.  After  this  a 
miner's  club  room  was  used  for 
Mass  on  Sundays,  and  then  for 
some  weeks  in  June  and  July  1905 
a  disused  Salvation  Army  barracks. 
The  stone  of  the  present  church 
was  laid  Wednesday,  August  23, 
1905,  during  rectorate  of  Fr.  Grys- 
peert,  by  Mgr.  Dawson.  The 
building  was  opened  on  Easter 
Wednesday  1906.  Mission  still 
served  from  Loftus. 


BROUGH  HALL,  near  CATTE- 
RICK,  YORKS  (Middlcslrour/lt}. 
St.  Paulinus. 

The  preservation  of  the  Faith  in 


106 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


this  district  is  mainly  owing  to  the 
baronetal  family  of  Lawson,  the 
owners  of  Brough  Hall.  The  Bene 
dictines  are  said  to  have  served  the 
mission  from  about  the  time  of  the 
Reformation  to  1700,  since  when  it 
has  been  in  the  charge  of  the 
Jesuits.  The  church  was  built  by 
the  late  Sir  Win.  Lawson,  Bart., 
and  opened  May  8,  1837.  J. 
Bonomi,  Esq.,  was  the  architect. 
The  jubilee  was  observed  with 
much  solemnity,  May  1887,  in  the 
presence  of  the  Bishop  of  Middles 
brough  and  a  great  assembly.  The 
design  of  the  building  is  Gothic, 
after  that  of  the  ancient  archi- 
episcopal  chapel  at  York. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Thos.  Lawson,  1700. 

,,    Jn.  Champion,  1714. 

„    Hy.  Corbie,  1735. 

„    Chas.  Hodgkinson,  1745. 

„    Fr.  Blundell,  1752. 

„  Robt.  Knatchbul,  1758.  (This 
priest  had  to  leave  in  1765, 
in  consequence  of  the  threats 
of  the  vicar  of  the  parish, 
for  baptising  a  Catholic  in 
fant.) 

„    Thos.  Aspinall,  1765. 

„    Ralph  Hoskins,  1769. 

„    Thos.  Ferby,  1794. 

„    Jn.  Laurenson,  1807. 

„    Jn.  Dilworth,  1830. 

„    Robt.  Johnson,  1834. 

„    Jn.  Rigby,  1841. 

„    Felix  Pole,  1847. 

„    Jn.  Rigby,  1849. 

„    W.  Clifford,  1852. 

„    W.  Smith,  1863. 

„    Luke  Burke,  1864. 

„    Alf.  Watson,  1869. 

„  Win.  Canon  Arnold,  1872. 

„  Jas.  Glancey,  D.D.,  1892. 

„  Law.  Levett,  1893. 

„    John  Murphy,  1895. 

„    Francis  Nelson,  1897. 

„    Wm.  Strucken,  1899  to  date. 


BROUGHTON        HALL,       YORKS 

(Leeds].     The  Sacred  Heart. 

The  Tempest  family  have  been 
seated  here  since  the  reign  of 
Henry  VI.  The  domestic  chapel 
dates  from  1453. 


BROWNEDGE,   PRESTON,  LANCS 

(Salford).     St.  Mary. 

Fr.  Henry  Brewer,  O.S.B.,  was 
sent  here  from  St.  Mary's,  Liver 
pool,  1822.  He  built  the  present 
church,  opened  1826,  and  served 
the  mission  till  1846.  In  1850  the 
schools  had  an  average  attendance 
of  400  pupils.  The  rectors  after 
Fr.  Brewer  have  been : — 
Rev.  T.  Walker,  1847. 

,,    Austin  Pozzi,  1885. 

„    Thomas     Clarkson,    1902    to 
date. 


BROXWOOD,      HEREFORDSHIRE 

(Newport). 

The  mission  was  founded  from 
Hereford  about  1860,  the  first 
priest  being  Abbot  Gregory,  O.S.B. 
In  1881  the  church  was  redecorated 
and  restored  at  the  expense  of  Col. 
Cox,  a  member  of  the  congregation. 
The  Rev.  R.  Davis  is  the  present 
rector. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Abbot  Gregory,  1860. 

A.  Van  den  Heuvel,  1877. 

Athanasius  Rogers,  1882. 

Thos.  Contarin,  1885. 

Achille  Ooghe,  1895. 

R.  Davis,  1902. 


BUCKFASTLEIGH,       DEVON 

(Plymouth).    Immaculate  Heart  of 
Mary. 

St.   Mary's   Abbey,    founded    in 
1137  by  Ethelwerd,  son  of  William 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


107 


de  Pomeroy,  and  affiliated  to  the 
Cistercian  monastery  of  Clairvaux 
1138.  It  is  said  the  abbots  had 
power  to  execute  offenders.  The  | 
abbot  at  the  time  of  the  dissolu 
tion  was  Gabriel  Dunne,  and  he 
surrendered  the  abbey  to  Henry 
VIII.  's  commissioners,  February  25, 
1538.  In  October  1882,  it  was  pur 
chased,  '  on  specially  advantageous 
terms,'  by  the  Benedictines  of  Pierre 
qui  Vire  from  the  proprietor,  Dr. 
Gale,  of  Plymouth.  Various  re 
storations  and  additions  were  put  in 
hand,  and  on  April  27,  1886,  the 
south  side  of  the  abbey  was  opened. 
Mass,  however,  was  said  at  the 
abbey  from  October  29, 1882.  Lord 
Clifford  acted  as  chairman  of  the 
restoration  committee,  the  plans 
being  prepared  by  Mr.  F.  A.  Walters. 
The  old  walls  and  buildings  were 
skilfully  incorporated  with  the  new 
additions.  On  the  day  of  the  open-  , 
ing,  High  Mass  was  celebrated  by  the 
Bishop  of  Clifton,  the  sermon  being 
preached  by  Fr.  Jerome  Vaughan, 
of  Fort  Augustus.  At  the  dejeuner 
which  followed  the  service  in  the 
church,  the  Earl  of  Devon  in  his 
speech  assured  the  Abbot  of  Buck- 
fastleigh  of  the  delight  it  gave  him 
at  '  seeing  the  successors  of  the  old 
monks  again  in  their  old  home,' 
Dr.  Gale,  the  former  proprietor  of 
the  place,  also  expressed  his  pleasure 
at  seeing  the  abbey  once  more  in 
monastic  hands. 


BUCKINGHAM  (Northampton). 
St.  Bernardine  of  Sienna. 

The  English  province  of  the 
Franciscans  opened  a  mission  at 
Buckingham  in  July  1892,  when 
Mass  was  said  on  Sundays  at 
22  West  Street,  where  a  temporary 
chapel  was  fitted  up  in  their 
house  of  residence.  The  town 


was  anciently  under  the  protec 
tion  of  St.  Rumwald.  The  Rev. 
Fr.  Thaddeus,  O.S.F.,  was  the  first 
resident  priest.  The  priests  after 
him  have  been : 
Rev.  Fr.  Anthony,  1895. 

,,     „     Dunstan,  1897. 

,,     „     Anselm,  1899. 

„     „     Norbert,  1902  to  date. 


BUCKLAND,  FARINGDON, 
BERKS  (Portsmouth}.  St.  George. 

The  old  domestic  chapel  of  the 
Throckmorton  family  was  built  in 
1725.  The  present  fine  church, 
erected '  by  the  pious  munificence '  of 
Sir  Robert  Throckmorton,  Bart.,  was 
opened  on  Low  Sunday  1846.  The 
style  is  fourteenth-century  Gothic, 
from  designs  by  C.  Hansom.  Canon 
Daniel  Rock,  D.D.,  author  of 
'The  Church  of  Our  Fathers,' 
'  Hierurgia,'  &c.,  was  chaplain  at 
Faringdon  from  1840  to  1853. 
In  1850  the  Catholic  population  of 
Faringdon  numbered  over  200. 

Priests  since  1793. 
Rev.  Joseph  Berington  (a  great 
opponent  of  Bishop  Milner 
on  the '  Catholic  Committee  ' 
question,  and  author  of  '  A 
Literary  History  of  the 
Middle  Ages'). 

„    Jn.  Hutchinson,  1828. 

„  Daniel  Canon  Rock,  D.D., 
1840  (author  of  '  Hierurgia,' 
'  The  Church  of  Our  Fathers,' 
&c. ;  died  at  Kensington 
1871. 

„    Francis  Azzopardi,  1854. 

„    Hy.  Clark,  1855. 

„    E.  Sheridan,  1860. 

„    Jn.  Norris,  1863. 

„    R.  Davis,  1881. 

„    H.  Russell,  1885. 

„    J.  Arundel,  1892. 

„    C.  Arthur,  1903. 


108 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


BULLINGHAM  (Hereford). 

In  October  1862  a  few  Sisters  of 
Charity  came  to  Bullingham  at  the 
invitation  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boden- 
ham,  and  established  a  boarding 
school.  Shortly  after  this  an  ele 
mentary  school  was  opened  under 
Government  inspection.  In  1883 
the  children  in  the  boarding  school 
numbered  200,  and  those  in  the  ele 
mentary  school  100.  The  chapel 
of  the  convent  served  the  mission. 
The  first  mention  of  Bullingham 
as  a  mission  appears  in  the  '  Catholic 
Directory  '  for  1883,  when  Fr.  T. 
Bardet  was  chaplain.  A  new  con 
vent  was  erected  1885-6  to  take 
the  place  of  the  'old  Manor  House,' 
which  had  been  the  home  of  the 
community  since  its  settlement  at 
Bullingham.  The  Rev.  D.  Vende 
is  the  present  rector.  A  new  chapel, 
the  gift  of  the  Superioress,  the 
Hon.  Frances  Arundell,  was  opened 
by  Bishop  Hedley  in  July  1906. 
The  style  is  Early  English ;  cost, 
about  £4,000. 


BUNGAY,  SUFFOLK  (Northamp 
ton}.  St.  Edmund. 

The  opening  of  the  church  on  a 
site  given  by  the  Duke  of  Norfolk, 
June  18,  1823,  attracted  consider 
able  attention  in  the  town,  and  the 
High  Mass  was  attended  by  many 
of  the  protestant  local  gentry.  By 
the  kind  courtesy  of  Bobt.  Mann, 
Esq.,  the  bells  of  the  parish 
church  did  not  ring  their  accus 
tomed  peal  for  the  anniversary  of 
Waterloo  till  after  the  service. 
The  building  was  enlarged  by  a 
new  chancel  and  sacristy  in  1889 — 
the  gift  of  a  generous  benefactor, 
who  in  1900  erected  the  fine 
schools  at  a  cost  of  £2,000.  He 
presented  a  baptistery  to  the  church 
1901. 


Rectors. 

Rev.  M.  Eairclough,  1822. 
Hon.  and  Rev.  E.  Clifford,  1827. 
Rev.  Jos.  Wilson,  1829. 

John  Jenkins,  1837. 

A.  J.  Duck,  1839  or  1840. 

Thos.  Rolling,  1846. 

Michael  Sinnot,  1850. 

Patrick  Leary,  1852. 

Thos.  Brindfe,  1854. 

Henry  Sutton,  1867. 

Thos.  Caldwell,  1874. 

E.  Anselm  Glassbrook,  1882. 

Eplirern  Guy,  1885. 


Archibald 
date. 


Fleming,  1899   to 


BUNHILL    ROW,    LONDON,    E.G. 

St.  Joseph's,  Lamb's  Passage. 

In  April  and  May,  1849,  Fr. 
Hodgson,  the  well-known  missioner, 
preached  here  in  a  hired  room 
during  the  evenings  of  several 
weeks,  and  by  his  exertions  brought 
back  many  to  the  Faith.  On  Sunday, 
May  13,  1849,  Bishop  Wiseman 
concluded  the  sermons  &c.  by 
giving  a  discourse  to  upwards  of 
1,300  persons.  In  1856  a  semi- 
Gothic  church  was  built.  The  ac 
commodation  was  for  about  400 
persons.  In  1854  the  Catholic 
population  of  Bunhill  Row  was 
estimated  at  between  4,000  and 
5,000  persons.  A  painted  window 
over  the  high  altar  has  a  represen 
tation  of  the  titular  patron  of  the 
church,  St.  Joseph.  The  edifice 
was  built  on  land  formerly  belong 
ing  to  the  '  Associated  Catholic 
Charities  ' — a  society  founded  about 
1797  by  some  humble  Catholics 
who  met  for  the  discussion  of  busi 
ness  at  the  '  Mariner's  Arms.' 
They  subscribed  one  penny  a  week 
each  to  a  common  fund  for  the 
education  &c.  of  poor  Catholic 
children.  When  Canon  Keens  con- 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


109 


eluded  the  '  mission  '  in  December 
1889  upwards  of  500  persons 
received  Holy  Communion.  The 
fine  school  chapel  recently  erected 
is  now  regarded  as  a  chapel  of  ease 
to  St.  Mary's,  Moornelds,  from 
which  it  is  served. 


BURGESS  HILL,  SUSSEX  (South- 
warty.  St.  George's  Be  treat. 

This  institution  for  persons 
suffering  from  mental  maladies  was 
opened  in  1869  '  in  spacious  build 
ings  situated  on  an  estate  of  250 
acres  in  a  picturesque  and  healthy 
neighbourhood.'  The  patients  are 
under  the  care  of  the  Nuns  of  St. 
Augustine,  a  congregation  founded 
in  1841  by  the  late  Canon  Maes,  of 
Bruges,  for  the  special  treatment  of 
the  mentally  afflicted.  A  highly 
qualified  physician  resides  in  the 
house.  The  Bev.  Albert  Dearn 
was  the  first  and  the  Rev.  J. 
O'Meara  is  the  present  rector. 


BURGHWALLIS,  near  DONCAS- 
TER,  YORKS  (Leeds). 

The  foundation  of  this  mission 
is  ascribed  to  '  the  time  of  the 
Reformation.'  The  Tasburghs  of 
Flexton,  Suffolk,  had  a  hall  or 
residence  here,  and  it  is  to  them 
that  the  maintenance  of  the  Faith 
in  the  penal  times  is  due.  The 
chapel  was  served  by  Jesuits  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  the  earliest 
Father  of  the  Society  here  being 
Fr.  J.  Messenger,  1725-52.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Frs.  James 
Lewis,  John  Shaw,  and  Robert 
Saunderson.  The  latter  remained 
till  his  death  in  1781.  Later 
on  the  chaplains  were  French 
emigres,  viz.  Abba  Betiry,  1798; 
Jn.  Poisnel ;  Peter  Dubuisson, 


1803.  The  Abbe  Louis  le  Roux, 
formerly  vicar  of  Courbevoye, 
diocese  of  Paris,  was  priest  here 
from  1828  to  1845.  The  register 
dates  from  1761.  From  1846  to 
the  present  time  the  mission  has 
been  served  from  Doncaster. 


BURNHAM,  SOMERSET  (Clifton). 
The  Sacred  Heart. 

A  community  of  French  nuns  of 
the  Sacred  Heart  settled  here  in 
1889.  The  convent  chapel  served 
the  mission  till  the  opening  of  the 
church.  The  church  was  con 
secrated  by  the  Bishop  of  Clifton  in 
June  1890.  The  building,  a  hand 
some  and  well-proportioned  struc 
ture,  was  designed  by  Canon 
Scoles,  of  Bridge  water. 


BURNLEY,  LANCS  (Salford). 
St.  Mary's,  East   Gate,  Burnley, 
was  opened  March  25,   1846,  and 
!    consecrated   August  2,  1849.     The 
cost  of  building  was  £16,000.     The 
Catholic  population  then  numbered 
1,300  ;  at  present  it  is  about  6,000. 

Priests. 

Rev.  J.  Worthy,  1846. 
J.  Boardman,  1849. 
Jn.  Canon  Rimmer,  1851. 
Thos.  Flanagan,  1860  (?). 
M.  Dillon,  here  in  1871. 
Jn.  Canon  Rimmer,  1874. 
Jas.  Canon  Morrissey,  1891. 
Thos.  Canon  Corbishley,  1904. 
Mgr.  J.  B.  Cooke,  1905,  to  date. 


BURNLEY,  LANCS  (Salford). 
St.  Mary  Magdalen. 

A  new  church  and  presbytery  in 
the  Gannow  district  of  the  city  was 
opened  Sunday,  December  11, 1904, 


110 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


by  the  Bishop  of  Salford.  The  cost 
of  erection  was  about  £5,000.  From 
1887  till  1904,  a  school  chapel 
served  the  mission.  The  Catholic 
population  of  the  district  is  about 
2,000. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Octave  Eaymond,  1887. 

,.    Thomas  Harrison,  B.A.,  1902 
to  date. 


BURSCOUGH,  ORMSKIRK,  LANGS 

(Liverpool}.    St.  John. 

The  mission  history  dates  from 
1700.  The  schools  in  connection  with 
St.  John's  Catholic  Chapel,  built 
in  1815,  were  opened  in  November 
1850.  The  style  of  the  edifice  is 
Gothic,  the  accommodation  at  time 
of  opening  being  for  120  children. 
The  chapel  was  built  by  Fr. 
Coghlan.  The  Catholic  population 
of  Burscough  in  1860  was  400 ;  in 
1901  580. 

In  1568  the  Earl  of  Derby  sum 
moned  the  chief  Catholic  gentry  of 
the  district  before  him  at  Lathom 
House,  and  the  most  '  obstinate  ' 
were  sent  to  prison.  The  Austin 
Canons  had  a  priory  in  the  neigh 
bourhood  until  the  dissolution. 
The  Burscoughs  of  Lathom  Hall 
were  Catholics,  and  great  sufferers 
for  the  Faith.  The  family  became 
extinct  about  the  end  of  the 
eighteenth  century. 

The  upper  room  of  Burscough 
Hall  Farm  was  used  as  a  chapel 
about  1732.  In  1759  the  chapel 
was  improved  at  a  cost  of  £80. 
Bishop  Gibson  confirmed  forty-eight 
persons  here  1793.  In  1819  a  new 
chapel  and  presbytery  were  erected. 
Fr.  B.  Hodgson  added  a  gallery 
about  1855.  In  1885-6  the  chapel 
was  redecorated  and  partly  re 
furnished. 


Priests. 

Bev.  James  Gorsuch,  1712. 
Bd.  Walmsley,  1734  (?). 
James  Brown,  1741. 
Hy.  Kellett,  1790. 
Wm.  Coghlan,  1810. 
Jn.  Anderton,  1836. 
Bd.  Hodgson,  1850. 
Canon  Fisher,  1871. 
Jn.  Kelly,  B.A.,  1877. 
Jn.  Daly,  1878. 
Pat.  Cahill,  1884. 
T.  B.  Allan,  1885. 
Jas.  Eager,  1885  to  date. 


BURSLEM,  STAFFS  (Birming 
ham).  St.  Joseph's,  Hall  Street. 

Though  many  Catholics  were 
reported  to  be  living  in  the  district 
in  1850,  it  was  not  till  1895  that  a 
mission  could  be  established.  Mass 
on  Sundays  was  said  at  31  Church 
Square  by  Fr.  J.  Hymers.  The 
congregation  was  estimated  at 
1,200. 


BURTON  -  ON  -  TRENT,     STAFFS 

(Birmingham).      SS.     Mary     and 
Modwena. 

When  the  mission  was  founded 
here,  in  January  1852,  there  was 
much  protestant  opposition,  owing 
largely  to  the  recent  excitement 
over  the  re-establishment  of  the 
hierarchy.  The  Gothic  school 
chapel  (48  ft.  by  20  ft.),  opened 
on  Trinity  Sunday  the  same  year, 
was  described  by  a  contemporary 
journal  as  '  the  handsomest  and 
most  correctly  ecclesiastical  build 
ing  in  Burton.'  The  present  Gothic 
church  was  opened  by  Bishop  Ulla- 
thorne  in  1879.  It  may  be  of  in 
terest  to  remark  that  in  1811  there 
was  only  one  Catholic  family  in 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


111 


Burton,  but  by  1852  the  congrega 
tion  was  estimated  at  some  hun 
dreds. 

Priests. 
Eev.  W.  O'Grady,  1852. 

„     T.  Telford,  1856. 

„     C.  McCabe,  1870. 

„     J.  Flynn,  1877  to  date. 


BURTON  PARK,  SUSSEX  (South- 
luark}.    SS.  Anthony  and  George. 

The  ancient  Catholic  family  of 
Biddulph  inherited  the  estate  of 
Burton  Park  by  the  marriage  of 
Richard  Biddulph,  Esq.,  with  Anne, 
daughter  and  heiress  of  Sir  Henry 
Goring,  of  Burton.  This  Richard 
Biddulph  died  1G79.  There  was  a 
domestic  chapel  at  the  park.  The 
last  member  of  this  family  was 
Anthony  John  Wright  Biddulph, 
Esq.  This  gentleman  built  the 
present  church  (Gothic)  on  a  site 
in  the  park.  The  building  was 
consecrated  by  Archbishop  Man 
ning  for  Bishop  Grant,  August  18, 
1869.  The  accommodation  of  the 
building  is  for  about  100  persons. 
After  the  death  of  Mr.  Wright 
Biddulph  the  estate  passed  out  of 
Catholic  hands,  but  the  mission  is 
administered  by  lay  trustees.  For 
some  years  past  the  church  has 
been  served  from  Crawley. 
Priests  from  1825. 
Rev.  Peter  Duval. 

„    Thos.  Brogan,  1833. 

„    Simon  O'Carroll,  1841. 

„    E.  Hood,  1849. 

„    Peter  Coop,  1851. 

,,    Joseph  McSweeny,  1857. 

„    Eugene  Reardon,  1861. 

„  Reginald  Fowler,  here  in 
1875. 

„    Thos.  Canon  Lalor,  1879. 

„  Nicholas  Broder,  here  in  1889 
till  1895,  since  when  the 
mission  has  been  served 
from  Crawley. 


BURTONWOOD,  NEWTON  -  LE- 
WILLOWS,  LANCS  (Liverpool). 

A  school  chapel  was  opened 
October  1886  on  a  site  generously 
given  by  John  Mercer,  Esq.,  of 
Alston  Hall.  An  additional  class 
room  for  fifty  children  was  added  in 
1888,  and  in  1890  the  school  was 
again  enlarged.  For  twelve  years 
after  the  opening,  the  mission  was 
served  from  Sutton.  The  first 
resident  priest  was  Fr.  Peter 
Morgan  (1898),  who  still  retains 
the  incumbency. 


BURWASH,  SUSSEX  (Southward). 
St.  Joseph's. 

The  church  and  presbytery  were 
presented  to  the  diocese  of  South- 
wark  by  Madame  de  los  Heros,  of 
Southover  Hall.  The  first  Mass  in 
the  building  was  said  by  Bishop 
Butt  on  Tuesday,  October  11, 1887. 
The  style  of  the  church  is  cruci 
form.  Mr.  B.  Whelan  was  the 
architect.  The  mission  was  for 
several  years  served  by  secular 
priests  of  the  Southwark  diocese, 
but  for  some  time  past  has  been 
transferred  to  the  Salesian  Fathers, 
who  have  their  novitiate  here.  The 
Catholic  population  of  Burwash  in 
1888  was  practically  confined  to 
the  family  and  servants  of  South- 
over  Hall.  In  1890  it  was  esti 
mated  at  100. 


BURY,  LANCS  (Salford).  Our 
Blessed  Lady. 

In  1821  there  \vere  not  more 
than  five  Catholic  families  in  the 
town,  when  Mass  was  said  once  a 
month  in  the  upper  room  of  a  wool 


112 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


warehouse.  In  1834  the  first  resi 
dent  priest  was  appointed.  The 
church,  erected  1841-2,  is  a  Gothic 
structure  (90  ft.  by  40  ft.),  with 
gable  and  octagonal  tower ;  east 
window  by  Wailes.  Total  cost  of 
schools,  church,  and  presbytery, 
about  £3,000. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Hy.  "Walmesley,  1834. 
,,    James  Peacock,  1835. 

James  Canon  Boardman,  1851. 

John  Canon  Rimmer,  1874. 

James  Morrissey,  1891. 

Michael  Byrne,  1897. 

David  Walshe,  1902  to  date. 


BUKY  ST.  EDMUNDS,    SUFFOLK 

(Northampton}.     St.  Edmund. 

In  the  reign  of  James  II.  the 
Benedictine  monks  of  the  Rue  de 
St.  Jacques,  Paris,  negotiated  for 
the  purchase  of  a  portion  of  the 
old  Abbey  of  Bury  St.  Edmunds, 
but  an  outcry  having  been  made 
against  this,  the  monks,  at  the  re 
quest  of  the  king,  desisted  from 
the  purchase.1  About  1732  Fr. 
Alexius  Jones,  O.S.B.,  took  up  his 
abode  at  Bury  St.  Edmunds,  and 
remained  here  as  missionary  priest 
till  1737,  when  he  went  as  chaplain 
to  Hengrave  Hall.  His  place  was 
taken  by  Fr.  Howard,  O.S.B.,  who 
remained  at  Bury  St.  Edmunds 
till  his  death,  December  12,  1755. 
Fr.  J.  Dennett,  S.J.,  who  died  here 
March  1,  1789,  aged  eighty-seven, 
is  said  to  have  been  long  on  the 
mission  at  Bury  St.  Edmunds. 

The  full  list  of  English  missions, 
with  names  of  clergy,  hours  of  ser 
vices,  &c.,  was  first  given  in  the 
1  Laity's  Directory  '  for  1824.  The 

1  Tim  persons  who  raised  the  outcry 
afterwards  purchased  the  abbey  pro 
perty  for  themselves. 


church,  which  is  in  the  Classical 
style,  was  thoroughly  renovated 
and  redecorated  in  the  autumn  of 
1876. 

Priests  since  1824. 
Rev.  Thos.  Angier,  1824. 
„    Hy.  Wright,  1828. 

J.  Laurenson,  1832. 

Jos.  Tate,  1835. 

Hy.  Brigham,  1840. 

Bernard  Jarrett,  1846. 

Jas.  Brownbill,  1855. 

Jos.  Lazenby,  1874. 

Walter  Strappini,  1885. 

Thos.  Parkinson,  1888. 

Roger  Perrin,  1896. 

F.  Jones,  1898. 

Jos.  Kenny,  1904  to  date. 


BUXTON,  DERBYSHIRE  (Not- 
tingham).  St.  Anne. 

In  August  1845  Fr.  O'Farrell, 
of  Leek,  started  the  mission  of 
Buxton  by  saying  Mass  there  every 
Sunday  at  7.30  A.M.  Up  to  that 
time,  the  nearest  Catholic  chapel 
was  twelve  miles  distant.  That  of 
Buxton  was  a  small  room,  into 
which  fifty  persons  used  to  crowd. 
In  June  1846,  when  Dr.  Gilligan, 
Bishop  of  Raphoe,  was  at  Buxton, 
he  said  Mass  at  Mr.  Campbell's 
house  in  Higher  Buxton.  The  first 
stone  of  the  present  church  was 
laid  in  July  1860,  and  the  solemn 
opening  took  place  in  July  1861. 
The  site  was  obtained  from  the 
Duke  of  Devonshire.  The  style  is 
Gothic,  and  the  building,  which  is 
of  Reeve  Edge  Ripping  stone,  cost 
£720,  exclusive  of  external  fittings. 
The  patroness  is  St.  Anne,  to  whom 
'  the  holy  wells '  of  Buxton  were 
dedicated  in  pre-Reformation  times. 
Mgr.  (afterwards  Cardinal)  Man 
ning  preached  on  the  occasion  of 
the  opening.  The  building,  which 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


113 


will  accommodate  200  persons,  is 
'  a  neat  edifice  of  the  Early  English 
period  of  architecture.'  The  cost 
of  erection  was  defrayed  by  P. 
Hewitt,  Esq.,  the  plans  being  drawn 
by  Fr.  A.  J.  Scoles. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Edw.  McGreavy,  1861. 
„    W.  A.  Margison,  1863. 
—  Driscoll,  here  in  1872. 

(Vacant  1875). 
Rev.  John  Power,  1876. 

.,    Theodore      Canon      Hoeben, 

1888. 
„    Fredk.  Kind,  1902  to  date. 


BYER  MOOR,  BURNOPFIELD, 
DURHAM  (Hexliam  and  Newcastle). 
The  Sacred  Heart, 

In  1830  the  population  of  this 
district  was  under  150  inhabitants. 


By  1860  the  place  had  become  so 
greatly  developed  that  a  Catholic 
chapel  was  a  necessity.  A  school 
chapel  was  erected  here  in  1869. 
The  new  church  at  Lintz  Green 
was  opened  1876.  A  cemetery  was 
laid  out  at  the  same  time. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Patrick  Mathews,  1869. 
„    Jn.  Wilson,  1879  to  date. 


BYKER,  near  NEWCASTLE-ON- 
TYNE  (Hexliam  and  Neivcastle). 
St.  Lawrence. 

The  new  church  was  solemnly 
opened  April  24,  1898.  The  Mass 
was  sung  by  Prior  Buckler,  of  St. 
Dominic's,  from  which  mission  the 
chapel  is  still  served. 


114 


0 


CAMBERLEY,  SURREY  (South- 
ivarlf).  St.  Tarcisius. 

This  place  was  formerly  known 
as  Cambridge  Town.  The  mission 
was  established  in  1872  by  Lady 
Southwell,  who  generously  gave  a 
site  for  church  and  presbytery.  The 
chapel  is  an  iron  building,  capable 
of  holding  about  100  persons  ;  it 
was  opened  by  Bishop  Coffin,  of 
Southwark,  April  27,  1884.  The 
fine  statue  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes 
was  presented  to  the  church  by 
Miss  Ross.  Major  Stafford  and  the 
late  Col.  Henderson,  lecturer  on 
tactics  at  the  Staff  College,  were 
also  generous  benefactors  to  the 
mission. 

Priests. 
Rev.  John  McKenna,  1872. 

M.  O'Neill,  1882. 

John  Golden,  1888. 

Thos.  Ford,  1891. 

Alexander  McAuliffe,  1895. 

W.  Fichter,  1896. 

F.  S.  Bennett,  1898. 

P.  Twomey,  1906  to  date. 


CAMBERWELL,  LONDON,  S.E. 
(Southwark).  The  Sacred  Heart. 

The  mission  was  opened  on 
Easter  Monday  1860,  when  Mass 
was  said  at  De  Crespigny  Lodge, 
Denmark  Hill,  by  the  late  Fr. 
Claude  Bernin,  of  Lyons.  The 
district  was  then  largely  one  of 
•strawberry  fields  and  market 
gardens.  The  next  chapel  was  at 


Chepstow  Cottage,  which  also  served 
as  the  presbytery.  This  in  turn 
was  superseded  by  a  chapel  formed 
out  of  two  or  three  cottages  in 
Thomas  Street,  now  Becket  Street. 
A  lay  committee  ably  managed  the 
temporalities  of  the  mission,  and  a 
flourishing  school  was  commenced 
under  Mr.  William  Geoghegan.  In 
1862  a  temporary  church  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  £600,  and  opened 
by  Bishop  Morris.  Fr.  Bernin  left 
in  1864,  and  for  a  time  the  church 
was  served  on  Sundays  by  Fr. 
Power,  afterwards  of  Canterbury. 
The  next  rector,  Fr.  Ed.  Cahill, 
enlarged  the  church,  and  introduced 
the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame  as 
teachers  in  the  girls'  and  infants' 
schools.  The  temporary  church 
of  1862  was  replaced  by  the  present 
one  in  the  Camberwell  New  Road, 
opened  by  Bishop  Morris,  February 
16,  1870.  New  schools  for  boys 
and  girls  were  shortly  afterwards 
built  in  Pitman  Street.  A  second 
aisle  and  clerestory  to  the  church 
were  opened  by  Bishop  Danell, 
August  12,  1872,  the  sermon  being 
preached  by  Archbishop  Manning. 
The  presbytery,  for  three  priests, 
was  completed  in  1875.  Fr. 
McGrath,  under  whom  these  build 
ing  developments  were  carried  out, 
was  appointed  to  the  mission  in 
1869,  and  in  1882  became  Canon  of 
Southwark.  He  removed  to  Wey- 
bridge  1898,  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  Canon  W.  Murnane,  of  Red 
Cross  Street,  the  present  rector. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


115 


CAMBORNE,    WEST    CORNWALL 

(Plymouth).  St.  John  the  Baptist. 
In  the  eighteenth  century  the 
Catholics  of  Camborne  were  some 
times  able  to  hear  Mass  at  Tolfrey, 
the  residence  of  the  Couche  family, 
where  there  was  a  chapel  and  resi 
dent  chaplain.  Fr.  Hayman  died 
here  April  30,  1756,  aged  eighty- 
seven.  The  present  mission  dates 
from  1851.  The  number  of  Catholics 
at  Camborne  at  that  time  is  re 
ported  to  have  been  scarcely  fifty. 
Mass  was  said  occasionally  in  a  small 
hired  room  by  a  priest  from  Pen- 
zance.  In  1853  the  congregation 
had  increased  to  253.  Mr.  Pike,  a 
convert  gentleman,  fitted  up  a  stable 
loft  as  a  chapel.  In  1858  the 
Catholic  population  had  risen  to 
one  thousand,  owing  principally  to 
Irish  immigration.  The  stone  of 
the  new  Gothic  church  was  blessed 
and  laid  by  the  Bishop  of  Plymouth 
on  June  24,  1858.  Fr.  James 
Carey  was  priest  at  this  time.  The 
building  was  opened  May  26,  1859. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Eichard  Mansfield,  1853. 

James  Carey,  1857. 

William  Cassey,  1860. 

Leo  Croutelle,  here  in  1872. 

Arthur  McKey,  1882. 

John  McCarthy,  1885. 

Edward  Barry,  1892. 

Laurence  O'Loughlin. 


CAMBRIDGE  (Northampton). 
Our  Lady  and  the  English  Martyrs. 

Though  it  was  not  until  1854  that 
the  B.A.  degree  of  the  universi 
ties  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge  was 
opened  to  Catholics,  several  distin 
guished  adherents  of  the  old  religion, 
as  the  Duk-3  of  Norfolk,  LordEdward 
Howard,  and  Cardinal  Acton,  made 
their  higher  studies  at  Cambridge. 
Kenelrn  Digby,  the  well-known 


author  of  '  Mores  Catholici,'  joine 
the    Church    from   the   university 
in  1825,  and  Mr.     Ambrose  Lisle 
Philipps  in  1838.     Some  time  after 
1820,  when  Sir  Thomas  Keddington 
was  at  Cambridge,  his  mother,  who 
resided  near  his  college,  opened  her 
dining-room  as  a  chapel  on  Sundays 
to    enable    the    Irish    agricultural 
labourers   of    the   district   to   hear 
Mass.     In  1841  the  first  mission  in 
Cambridge  was  established  by  Fr. 
Shenley.     The  chapel  was  in  a  cot- 
tage  at  Barnwell,  a  suburb  of  the 
town,   the    requisites    for   offering 
Mass    being    borrowed    from    the 
chapel  at  Sawston  House,  the  resi 
dence  of  Major  Huddlestone.    Such 
I    numbers  attended  Mass  on  Sundays 
!    that  Fr.  Shenley  resolved  on  build- 
I    ing  a   church.     Great   indignation 
was  manifested  at  this  in  the  Uni- 
j    versity  when  the   project   became 
i    known.     On  November  5  a  large 
i    body  of  students  assembled  to  tear 
j    up  the  foundations,  but  retreated  at 
the  prospect  of  an  encounter  with  a 
body  of  burly  Irishmen  and  a  force 
of  special  constables  under  the  com 
mand  of  the  mayor,  Thomas  Fisher, 
Esq. 

The  church,  designed  by  Pugin, 
was  opened  on  the  feast  of  St. 
George  1843,  by  Bishop  Wareing, 
V.A.  of  the  Eastern  district.  Bishop 
Wiseman  preached  to  a  crowded 
congregation.  The  church,  dedicated 
to  St.  Andrew,  Apostle,  was  pro 
nounced  by  the  Camden  Society  to 
be  '  a  hidden  gem.'  By  the  '  early 
eighties '  it  was  totally  inadequate 
for  the  size  of  the  congregation,  and 
a  new  building  was  resolved  on  by 
Canon  Scott,  M.A.,  the  resident 
priest.  The  cost  of  this  new  build 
ing  was  borne  by  Mrs.  Lyne 
Stephens,  a  great  benefactress  to 
the  Catholic  Church  in  England. 
The  foundation  stone  of  the  church 
and  presbytery  was  laid  by  Bishop 
I  2 


116 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


Riddell,  of  Northampton,  June  80, 
1887.  Messrs.  Dunn,  and  Hansom 
were  the  architects.  The  building 
was  opened  with  much  ceremony 
in  1890.  The  style  of  the  church  is 
Gothic.  The  interior  of  the  struc 
ture  is  very  ornate,  and  the  belfry 
is  provided  with  a  fine  peal  of  bells 
playing  musical  chimes. 


CAMPDEN,      GLOUCESTERSHIRE 

(Clifton}. 

The  new  church,  in  the  Per 
pendicular  style  (temp.  Henry  IV. 
and  V.),  was  opened  on  Septem 
ber  3, 1891.  Fr.  Lloyd,  the  rector, 
was  mainly  instrumental  in  erecting 
it.  He  was  assisted  to  a  large  ex 
tent  in  the  good  work  by  the  Earl 
of  Gainsborough,  who,  in  addition  to 
monetary  aid,  presented  the  site. 
The  stones  of  the  old  chapel  at 
Westington  were  utilised  for  the 
new  building.  The  Papal  arms, 
with  those  of  the  Earl  and  Countess 
of  Gainsborough,  are  displayed  in 
the  church.  A  statue  of  St. 
Catherine,  the  patroness  of  the 
church,  stands  in  a  niche  over  the 
main  entrance.  The  altar  of  the 
Lady  Chapel  is  in  memory  of  Lad}7 
Constance  Bellingham.  W.  Lunn, 
Esq.,  of  Malvern,  was  the  architect. 
A  school  chapel  was  opened  here 
in  September  1869,  and  used  for 
worship  till  the  opening  of  the  pre 
sent  church. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Vincent  Ferreri,  here  in  1869 
till  after  1886. 

„    Bernard  Lloyd,  here  in  1888. 

„    John  Wenham,  1898. 

„    Felix  May,  1902 

„    Ignatius  Gurd,  1904. 


CANNINGTON,  SOMERSET  (Clif. 
tori).  The  Holy  Name. 

The  mission  was  founded  when 
the  first  Lord  Clifford  of  Chudleigh 
received  the  estate  from  Charles  II. 
in  1672.  A  chaplain  was  main 
tained  there  till  about  1768,  when 
the  mission  appears  to  have  been 
closed,  the  last  priest  being  Fr. 
W.  Sullivan.  In  1807,  Charles  sixth 
Lord  Clifford  gave  Cannington 
'  Court  House '  to  a  community  of 
Benedictine  nuns,  whose  chaplain 
attended  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
the  revived  mission.  It  is  interest 
ing  to  note  that  a  Benedictine  con 
vent  was  founded  at  Cannington 
in  the  troubled  reign  of  Stephen  by 
Robert  de  Courcy,the  establishment 
consisting  of  an  abbess  and  six  or 
seven  nuns. 

Fr.  Richard  O'Meara  was  chap 
lain  at  Cannington  in  1827.  In 
1831  the  nuns  removed  to  Little 
Hey  wood,  in  Staffordshire,  but  they 
made  over  the  house  and  chapel  at 
Cannington  to  the  V.A.  of  the 
Western  district  for  the  use  of  the 
mission.  The  priests  after  this 
were  : — 

Rev.   T.   Burgess    and  Abbe  Pre- 
mord,  1832. 

Dr.  Tuomy,  1833. 

T.  Costello,  1835. 

James  Platt,  1838. 

A.  Byrne,  1841. 

T.  Danson,  1845. 

E.  Scully,  1845. 

F.  English,  1851. 
Jn.  Bouvier,  1864. 
Septimus  Coxon,  1866. 
C.  Kennard,  1875. 

The  present  rector  is  the  Rev. 
John  Archdeacon. 


CANNOCK,  STAFFS  (Birming 
ham).  The  Sacred  Heart  and  Our 
Lady. 

In   1876  Bishop   Ullathorne,  of 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


117 


Birmingham,  sent  Fr.  F.  Duckett, 
of  Eugeley,  Staffordshire,  to  start  a 
mission  at  Carmock.  Aided  by  Sir 
Charles  Clifford,  a  school  and  presby 
tery  were  erected  at  a  cost  of  £2,000. 
The  school  children  numbered  180 
in  1885.  In  1899,  a  house  known 
as  Hall  Court  was  transformed  into 
a  church.  It  was  opened  Decem 
ber  8  the  same  year.  In  December 
1901,  the  decorations  of  the  sanc 
tuary  were  completed  and  stations 
of  the  Cross  erected. 

Priests. 
Rev.  F.  Duckett,  1876. 

,,    James  B.  Keating,  1879. 

„    Thos.  Dickenson,  1882. 

„    James  Giblin,  1891. 

,,    Rowley     O'Keefe,     1893     to 
date. 


CANTERBURY,  KENT  (South 
ward).  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury. 

Prior  to  I860,  the  chapel  was  at 
Hales  Place  (q.v.).  In  January  of  this 
year  a  temporary  chapel  was  opened 
in  a  public  dancing  room  at  Canter 
bury.  Two  smaller  rooms  under 
neath  served  as  schools  for  the 
'  scores  of  Catholic  children  '  in  and 
around  the  town,  but  no  Govern 
ment  grant  was  received.  A  chapel 
was  opened  in  White  Horse  Lane 
1866,  and  used  up  to  the  opening  of 
the  present  place  of  worship  in  Bur- 
gate  Street,  April  1875.  The  site  of 
the  building  and  £1,000  towards 
the  expense  of  erection  were  given 
by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hart.  The  plan 
comprises  '  a  nave  of  four  bays 
approached  by  a  south  porch,  with 
a  sacristy  on  the  south  side  of  the 
chancel.'  The  stone  frontal  dis 
plays  incidents  in  the  life  of  St. 
Thomas  of  Canterbury.  A  new 
Lady  altar  was  presented  by  Miss 
Billington  in  December  1905. 


Priests. 

Rev.  Thomas  Richardson,  1860. 
„    Richard  Power,  1871. 
„    Edmund  Sheppard,  1905, 


CARISBROOKE,  ISLE  OF  WIGHT 

(Portsmouth). 

The  Dominicanesses,  or  Nuns  of 
the  Second  Order  of  St.  Dominic, 
founded  1215  by  St.  Dominic,  had 
an  English  branch,  established  at 
Vilvorde,  near  Brussels,  by  Fr. 
(afterwards  Cardinal)  Howard  in 
1661.  The  nuns  came  to  England 
1794,  and  after  several  residences  at 
Hartpury  Court,  near  Gloucester, 
Hurst  Green,  Lancashire,  &c.,  settled 
at  Carisbrooke  in  a  house  presented 
to  them  by  Elizabeth  Countess  of 
Clare  in  December  1866.  They 
opened  their  chapel  to  the  public, 
and  thus  a  new  mission  was  esta 
blished,  Fr.  Peter  Sablon  being  the 
first  chaplain.  Fr.  E.  G.  Kelly  is 
the  present  incumbent. 


CARLISLE,  CUMBERLAND  (Hex- 
ham  and  Newcastle).  St.  Mary 
and  St.  Joseph. 

The  Catholics  in  the  city  and 
district  were  attended  during  the 
penal  times  by  the  chaplains  of 
the  Howards  of  Corby  Castle.1 
Through  the  influence  of  Henry 
Howard,  Esq.,  of  Corby,  a  mission 
was  established  in  the  town  in 
1798,  though  as  late  as  1824  the 
chapel  was  '  an  upper  room.'  The 

1  After  the  rebellion  of  1745-6  many 
of  the  Jacobite  prisoners  at  Carlisle  were 
attended  by  the  priest  from  Corby. 
Among  these  was  Macdonald  of  Kinloch 
Moidart,  a  devout  Catholic,  and  the  only 
Highland  chief  executed  for  his  share  in 
the  melancholy  enterprise.  His  clay 
more  and  tartan  coat  are  still  preserved 
at  Corby. 


118 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


main  beam  gave  way  at  Easter  of 
that  year,  and  the  apartment  had 
to  be  supported  by  '  a  strong  prop  ' ! 
A  site  for  a  chapel  wa  obtained 
from  Lord  Lonsdale  for  £400,  and 
a  building  opened,  1825.  The 
presbytery  was  erected  at  the  same 
time.  Mainly  owing  to  a  legacy 
left  by  Miss  Lowry,  of  Durranthill 
(died  1871),  the  present  church 
was  commenced  in  1891,  and  opened 
by  Bishop  Wilkinson,  of  Hexham 
and  Newcastle,  June  1893.  The 
style  is  Perpendicular  Gothic  from 
design  by  Dunn  and  Hansom,  and 
the  structure  occupies  '  one  of  the 
finest  sites  in  the  city.'  A  fine 
oak  pulpit  was  presented  by  the 
Misses  Fairbain,  of  Rugby.  The 
seating  accommodation  of  the 
church  is  for  700.  Much  of  the 
credit  of  the  building  of  this  fine 
church  is  due  to  Canon  Waterton, 
the  present  rector. 

Priests  since  1824. 
Rev.  Joseph  Marshall. 

„    Luke  Canon  Curry,  1854. 

„    Geo.   Canon  Waterton,    1879 
to  date. 


CARLTON,  YORKS  (Leeds).  St. 
Mary. 

Fr.  John  Edisford,  a  Jesuit, 
laboured  here  for  many  years,  i.e. 
from  about  1685  till  1717.  In  three 
years  he  reconciled  upwards  of  forty 
persons  to  the  Church,  and  was 
in  consequence  singled  out  at  the 
Revolution  for  special  attack.  He 
succeeded  in  hiding  the  altar  plate, 
vestments,  &c.,  but  was  so  near 
capture  himself  that  on  one  occa 
sion  he  had  to  lie  close  in  a  narrow 
hole  while  his  pursuerg  plundered 
the  house.  He  was  still  on  the 
mission  in  the  district  in  1710,  en 
during  every  kind  of  hardship.  The 
last  Jesuit  missioner  at  Carlton  was 


Fr.  William  Allan,  1780-1.  A  Fr. 
Charles  Houghton  died  here  1797, 
but  whether  a  secular  or  religious 
does  not  appear. 

Priests  since  1825. 
Rev.  Jn.  Billington. 

Geo.  Canon  Heptonstall,  1830. 

Mgr.  Edward  Goldie,  1877. 

James  Canon  Glover,  1882. 

Julius  de  Baere,  1890. 

Gustave  Thonon,  1893. 

J.  Hubert  Offermann,  1895. 

Norman  Waugh,  1903  to  date. 


CARLTON,    NOTTINGHAM.     The 

Sacred  Heart. 

Mass  was  first  said  here  in 
recent  times  in  1877.  In  1883  the 
church  was  opened.  The  style  is 
Gothic.  In  April  1884  a  powerful 
bell  for  the  church  was  consecrated 
by  Bishop  Bagshawe.  It  bears  the 
legend  :  '  Ste.  Joannes  Baptiste  ora 
pro  nobis.'  Fr.  T.  Hoeben  was  the 
first  priest. 

Priests. 
Rev.  T.  Hoeben,  1877. 

„     F.  Kind,  1888. 

„     Jn.  Hardican,  1902. 


CARSHALTON,  SURREY  (South- 
warty. 

In  1793  the  Dominicans  of 
Bornhem,  Flanders,  came  to  Eng 
land  after  the  suppression  of  their 
monastery  by  the  French  Re 
volutionary  armies.  They  opened 
a  school  for  boys  at  Carshalton,  and 
the  establishment  was  known  as 
Bornhem  House.  The  mansion  is 
now  the  Convent.  In  1812  it 
passed  over  to  Mr.  Win.  Mylius,  a 
well-known  Catholic  educationist, 
who  renamed  it  the  '  Primary  Col 
lege.'  The  Abbe  Chabot,  who  was 
chaplain  to  the  college,  also  at- 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


119 


tended  to  the  spiritual  needs  of 
the  few  local  Catholics.  After  the 
removal  of  Mr.  Mylius's  establish 
ment  to  Chelsea  in  1830,  the 
mission  was  closed.  The  place 
again  became  a  centre  of  Catho 
licity  in  1893,  when  the  Daughters 
of  the  Cross  purchased  Carshalton 
House,  a  fine  mansion  once  be 
longing  to  Dr.  Radcliffe,  Queen 
Anne's  physician,  and  opened  a 
highly  successful  boarding  school. 
They  have  also  a  day  high  school 
and  the  Catholic  elementary 
schools.  The  fine  Gothic  church  of 
the  convent  was  built  1899-1900, 
from  design  of  C.  Ingress-Bell,  Esq. 
It  was  consecrated  October  12, 
1904,  by  Archbishop  Bourne. 

Chaplains. 
Rev.  James  Nolan,  1893. 

„    Alfred  Sharpe,  M.A.,  1905. 


CASTLEFORD,  YORKS,  WEST 
RIDING  (Leeds).  St.  Joseph. 

The  schools  erected  in  1877 
served  the  purpose  of  a  chapel  till 
1890,  when  the  present  church  was 
built.  The  foundations  were  com 
menced  on  February  27.  The 
building  is  in  the  Gothic  style,  and 
will  accommodate  about  500  per 
sons.  For  some  years  after  the  com 
mencement  of  the  mission  the  place 
was  served  from  Pontefracl. 

Priests. 
Kev.  John  Heweson,  1882  to  date. 


CASTLETON,  LANC3  (Salfonl). 
St.  Gabriel  and  the  Angels. 

Mission  established  1879.  A 
'  very  nice  school  chapel,'  pre 
sented  by  a  generous  benefactor, 
was  opened  Sunday,  January  25, 
1885.  A  revolving  wooden  shutter 
divided  the  sanctuary  from  the 


class-room.  Fr.  W.  L.  Fowler 
had  charge  of  the  mission  at  the 
commencement. 


CATERHAM,  SURREY  (South- 
war  Jc). 

The  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
was  built  1880-1  by  the  late 
Captain  Roe,  father  of  the  since 
incumbent,  Fr.  F.  Roe.  The  struc 
ture  is  cruciform,  in  the  Early 
English  style,  from  designs  by  Mr. 
E.  Ingress-Bell.  The  sanctuary 
has  been  recently  adorned  with 
elegant  mosaic  pictures  illustrative 
of  events  in  the  life  of  Our  Lord. 
Prior  to  the  establishment  of  the 
mission,  Fr.  J.  McKenna,  of  Croy- 
don,  used  to  go  over  to  Caterham 
occasionally  to  attend  to  the 
spiritual  wants  of  Catholic  soldiers 
in  the  Guards'  depot  and  local 
Catholics  generally.  During  the 
building  of  the  present  church  a 
temporary  chapel  was  generously 
erected  for  the  use  of  the  Catholic 
Guardsmen  by  the  officers  of  the 
several  regiments  connected  with 
the  place.  The  new  church  was 
solemnly  opened  by  Cardinal 
Manning,  Thursday,  August  11, 
1881. 


CATFORD,  LONDON,  S.E.  (South- 
war  Jc)  . 

A  plain  Romanesque  church 
designed  by  the  late  F.  W.  Tasker, 
of  Bedford  Row,  was  opened  for 
worship  in  Sangley  Road,  Catford, 
by  Bishop  Amigo,  of  Southwark,  on 
Tuesday,  September  13,  1904. 
Among  the  congregation  present 
were  Alderman  and  Sheriff  Sir 
Stuart  Knill  and  Lady  Knill, 
Canon  O'Halloran,  &c.  The 
building,  which  at  present  accoiu- 


120 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


modates  upwards  of  150,  is  capable 
of  being  considerably  enlarged. 
The  cost  of  erection  was  defrayed 
by  an  anonymous  benefactress. 
Fr.  E.  Escarguel  is  the  first  and 
present  rector. 


CATFORTH,     PRESTON,      LANCS 

(Liverpool).     St.  Eobert. 

This  church  was  erected  through 
the  zeal  of  Fr.  John  Bilsborrow — 
afterwards  Bishop  of  Salford.  The 
building  was  opened  July  29,  1877. 
In  1889  the  interior  was  painted 
and  decorated. 

Priests. 
Eev.  J.  Bilsborrow,  1877. 

Martin  Mahony,  1878. 

Geo.  Dobson,  1880. 

Peter  J.  Kane,  1885. 

Michael  Eyan,  1886. 

James  Welsby,  1892. 

John  Tomlinson,  1894. 

John  Donohoe,  1903. 

Andrew  Flynn,  1904. 


CAVERSHAM,         OXFORDSHIRE 

(Birmingham}.       Our    Lady    and 
St.  Anne. 

Mission  started  in  1896.  There 
were  at  this  time  only  thirteen  prac 
tical  Catholics  in  the  village,  but  by 
the  time  the  schools  of  Our  Lady  and 
St.  Anne  were  opened,  Thursday 
August  31,  1899,  the  congregation 
had  risen  to  120,  eighty  of  these 
being  regular  church-goers.  Before 
the  erection  of  the  schools,  Mass  was 
said  in  the  chapel  of  the  convent 
belonging  to  the  Soeurs  de  Miseri- 
corde.  The  schools,  which  afford 
accommodation  for  some  114  chil 
dren,  wrere  used  as  a  chapel  until 
the  opening  of  the  present  church 
in  1902. 


Priests. 

Fr.  Eaymond  Haskew,  1896. 
Fr.  W.  Wells,  1902. 


CAVERSWALL,  near  CHEADLE, 
STAFFS  (Birmingham).  St.  Filu- 
mena. 

The  Benedictines  of  Ghent  came 
to  England  in  1794,  and  after  set 
tling  for  a  time  at  Preston,  in  Lan 
cashire,  they  purchased  Caverswall 
Castle  and  fitted  it  up  as  a  monas 
tery,  about  1811.  By  Bishop  Mil- 
ner's  desire,  the  chapel  was  opened 
to  the  public,  and  Fr.  Richard  Eich- 
mond  placed  in  charge  of  the  mis 
sion.  In  1812,  a  larger  chapel  was 
founded,  and  opened  on  St.  Poly- 
carp's  Day  1813.  The  Catholic  popu 
lation  grew  so  rapidly  that  a  chapel 
had  to  be  erected  in  Lane  End,  near 
Caverswall,  1819.  Fr.  Eichmond 
was  succeeded  by  Fr.  Hubbard.  In 
1854  the  Benedictines  removed  to 
Oulton,  near  Stone,  and  the  castle 
came  into  the  possession  of  a  distin 
guished  Catholic  gentleman,  Mr. 
Eadcliffe,  by  whom  the  present 
Gothic  church  was  built.  The 
stone  was  laid  by  Bishop  Ulla- 
thorne  on  the  Thursday  of  Easter 
week  1863,  and  the  opening  took 
place  on  January  28,  1864.  Gil 
bert  Blount  was  the  architect. 
For  some  time  after  its  opening 
the  church  was  served  from 
Longton. 


CHARLTON,  near  WOOLWICH, 
KENT  (Southward). 

In  1903  the  Oblates  of  the 
Assumption,  expelled  from  France 
under  the  law  against  religious 
associations,  opened  a  rchool  chapel 
at  Charlton.  The  congregation  as 
ascertained  at  present  (1906)  num. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


121 


bers  about  250.  The  school,  which 
is  under  the  direction  of  the  Sisters 
of  the  Assumption,  gives  instruc 
tion  to  about  sixty  children.  The 
chapel  was  merely  a  large  room  of 
the  convent,  and  was  used  till  the 
opening  of  the  present  Komanesquc 
Church,  September  8,  1906.  The 
internal  decoration  is  very  har 
monious,  the  altar-piece  being  a 
representation  of  the  Madonna  and 
Child. 


CHASETOWN,  STAFFS  (Birming 
ham).  St.  Joseph. 

In  1881  the  Catholic  population 
of  Chasetown  was  estimated  at 
350  adults  and  60  children.  The 
nearest  chapel  was  six  miles  off. 
In  the  above-mentioned  year  an 
eligible  site  for  a  church  was  pro 
cured,  and  in  1883  the  present 
edifice  was  opened. 

Priests. 
Bev.  Geo.  Bunce,  1883. 

„    Francis  McCarrick,  1888. 

„    Fredk.  Williams,  1895. 

„    Charles  Brain,  1897  to  date. 


CHATHAM,    KENT    (Southward). 

For  the  early  history  of  Chatham 
see  OLD  BROMPTON.  In  1859  the 
chapel  accommodated  300.  The 
Catholic  population  amounted  to 
1,500,  including  Stroud  and  Ko- 
chester.  Of  these,  500  were  soldiers 
of  the  garrison.  About  ^300  was 
collected  to  enlarge  the  building, 
but,  on  consideration,  the  rector, 
Fr.  J.  Morley,  deemed  it  advisable 
to  build  a  new  church.  The  first 
stone  was  laid  by  Bishop  Grant 
October  10, 1862.  The  style  chosen 
was  Lombardo-Gothic,  from  design 
by  H.  Glutton,  Esq.  The  cost  of 
the  shell  was  about  11,700.  On 


June  25,  1863,  the  building  was 
opened  by  Bishop  Grant,  upon 
which  occasion  Mgr.  (Cardinal) 
Manning  preached  (Matt,  xxvii.  19). 
The  fine  painting  which  forms  the 
altar-piece  was  presented  by  the 
late  Bishop  Butt.  The  organ,  pur 
chased  from  St.  John's  Protestant 
Church,  in  the  town,  was  con 
structed  in  1829.  Some  few  years 
ago  the  church  was  renovated  and 
embellished  by  the  late  rector, 
Canon  H.  Cafferata,  now  of  Sutton. 
The  registers  of  the  mission  go  back 
to  about  1790,  when  the  chapel  was 
at  Old  Brompton. 


CHEADLE,  STAFFS  (Birming 
ham).  St.  Giles. 

This  fine  church  was  built  at  the 
sole  cost  of  John  sixteenth  Earl  of 
Shrewsbury,  and  was  consecrated 
September  1,  1846.  The  style  is 
Decorated  Gothic,  the  plan  com 
prising  nave,  north  and  south  aisles, 
Lady  Chapel,  and  spire  (200  ft.). 
The  east  window  has  for  subject 
the  genealogy  of  Our  Lord.  A 
handsome  rood-screen  separates  the 
sanctuary  from  the  body  of  the 
church.  The  opening  ceremony 
was  attended  by  all  the  Vicars- 
Apostolic,  the  Earl  and  Countess 
of  Shrewsbury,  the  Archbishops  of 
Sydney  and  Damascus,  the  Austrian 
Ambassador,  &c.  Bishop  Gillis,  of 
Edinburgh,  preached  (Ps.  cxxii. 
1,2). 

The  mission  formerly  formed 
part  of  that  of  Cresswell.  Fr. 
Wareing,  the  priest  of  that  place, 
finding  many  Catholics  at  Cheadlc 
in  danger  of  losing  their  faith, 
opened  a  chapel  there  in  a  private 
house.  This  place  of  worship  prov 
ing  inadequate,  a  disused  Militia 
storehouse  (60  ft.  by  20  ft.)  was  pur 
chased  and  turned  into  a  chapel. 


rMil.lsll    (\\THOLir    MISSIONS 


In  1884  the  number  of  coinmuni- 

i-ants  ut  rhoadlo  numbered  ninety. 
The  establishment  of  the  mission. 
iTivtion  of  t  ho  schools,  £e..  is 
entirely  due  to  tho  sixteenth  Karl 
of  Shrewsbur. 
' 


Mission     served     from     Cr 

ISIS  'j;>    by    Krs.    \Yareini,* 
and  Haddoley. 
Rev.  —  Gates.  1824! 

„    -          JetYries     i  first       resident 

priest),  18'27. 
„    Francis  Fairfax,  1834, 
n    AVni.  Gubbins,  1S4S. 
„    Jaines  Canon  Jones,  1S5(>. 
„    Stuart  Eyre  Bathurst,  I860. 
„    E.  H.  Hunter,  here  1871. 
„    Walter  Morris,  1876  to  date. 


CHEAM.  SURREY.    St. Anthony's 
Hospital. 

A  mission  was  established  here  J 
in  the  reign  of  Charles  I.,  and 
served  from  the  chapel  of  Queen 
Henrietta  Maria.  In  1755  the 
place  was  attended  by  the  chap 
lains  from  the  Portuguese  Embassy. 
The  register  dates  from  about  this 
tune.  During  this  period,  Fr.  Win. 
Heatley,  O.S.B.,  was  instrumental 
in  converting  over  fifty  protestants 
to  the  Faith,  which  led  to  a  prose 
cution  being  instituted  against  him 
by  the  Rev.  J.  King,  rector  of  the 
paxish.  The  chapel  would  appear 
to  have  been  in  the  house  of  the 
Dowager  Lady  Petre,  who  long 
resided  here.  It  was  searched  in 
1745— the  year  of  the  Jacobite 
rising — for  a  secret  supply  of  arms 
which  it  was  alleged  existed  there. 
In  1780,  one  Wm.  Bryant,  a 
Catholic,  was  •  hounded  to  his 
grave  in  the  parish  churchyard 
by  the  hellish  rabble'  of  Lower 
Cbeaiu.  The  mission  would  appear  I 


to  have  boon  closed   shortly  after 
17SS. 

In  1904  the  Daughters  of  the 
Cross  Nuns  acquired  North  Cheani 
House  from  F.  Burdett,  Esq.,  and 
on  June  21  of  the  same  year 
opened  a  hospital  for  conva 
lescents.  The  chapel  serves  the 
mission,  which,  exclusive  of  the 
hospital,  has  a  Catholic  population 
of  about  sixty,  mostly  resident  at 
Worcester  Park,  j.v.,  some  two 
miles  distant. 

8owr  /'/•:'•  *t*  ofikt  Old  Mutton, 
Rov.  ,losoph  Ha'nsbie,  174'2. 

„    --Heathe,  1753. 

„    Wm.  Heatley,  O.S.B.,  1755. 

„    B.  Bradshaw,  1761. 

„    B.  Harris,  1772. 

„    J.  Brewer,  O.S.B.,  1776. 

„    J.  Placid  Naylor,  O.8.B.,  1776. 

„    Benedict  Short.  O.P.,  1785. 
Priests  of  the  Modern  Mission  of 

Ki  v.  G.  Ciallea,  lik'i. 
„    Mannaduke  Langdale.  1905. 
„    Bernard  W.  Kelly,  1905. 


CHEESEBURN  GRANGE.  NORTH 
UMBERLAND  (Hcxham  and  New 
castle).  St.  Francis  Xavier. 

Cheescburn  Grange  is  tlie  an- 
cestral  seat  of  the  Biddells.  who 
inherited  the  estate  from  the  Wid- 
dringtons.  The  date  of  the  esta 
blishment  of  the  mission  is  1768. 
The  Dominicans  had  charge  of  the 
chapel,  Fr.  James  Sharp,  O.P., 
being  the  first  priest.  He  was 
probably  the  Fr.  J.  Sharp  who 
*  died  the  enviable  death  of  charity 
on  the  28th  February,  1801,  by  at 
tending  the  infected  at  Coventry* 
(Oliver).  Another  priest,  Fr.  Phil- 
lips,  died  at  the  Grange  August  7, 
1783.  The  baptismal  Hst  com- 
mences  1775.  The  public  chapel 
of  Cheesebu.ru  Grange  •  was  duly 


HJ8H   <  ATHOJ.ir   MI  ,  no]    , 


certified  a.s  a  place  of  public  reli 
gious  worship  in  the  year  of  Oar 
Lord  \T.K;  in  parsuanec  <>f  the 
Catholic  Belief  Act  of  the  previous 
year.  The  church  underwent  ex- 

fcensiV€ 

tion  in  1002, 


.  .\>,!.n  'I  .:*. 

„    J.  Fleet. 

„    John  Leadbitter,  1815, 

„    Tho*.  Cock,  1817, 

„    The*.  Gillett,  1850. 

„    Edward  Oxford,  1856. 

„    Frauds  Trappe«,  1858,  et  *eq. 

(Vacant  1875). 
„    Wm.  Baron,  here  in  1883,  till 

1893, 

„    Hy.  Blake,  1892. 
„    M.  P.  Horgan,  1893. 
„    Patrick  Matthews,  1896. 
„    Henry  WalracHley,   1899    to 

fate, 


CHELMSFORD,     ESSEX      <  \V <:>.!. - 
f':r). 

The  church  here  was  the  first  in 
England  to  be  dedicated  to  the 
Immaculate  Conception,  It  was 
opened  by  Bishop  Wiseman  Octo- 
ur  21, 1847.  Before  this  time,  Mass 
was  said  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the 
schools  erected  in  1845,  in  which 
year  the  mis«ion  was  started.  The 
building  wasconsecratedOctoU-r  20, 
1866.  The  architect  of  the  church, 
which  accommodates  1, 000,  wa«J.J. 
Scoles.  The  CathoUc  population  of 
the  place  in  1860  was  about  500. 
The  new  Lady  altar,  presented  by 
Mrs.  C.  Wells,  was  blessed  Octo 
ber  9,  1904. 

Priests. 
0.  P.  King,  1845. 

„    C.  Batt,  1867. 

„    J.  I'adbury,  M.R.,  1885. 

„    C,  Shepherd,  1901  to  date. 


CHKLXLA.   LONDON.    S  W 

. 
('.:.  <:-.!.'•    I'  ,      . 


The  church  WM  opened  by  Car- 
Urn]  V;,  ,^;.,,:.  Ctekiw  28,  1800, 
The  style  is  •  Italian  of  the  Endish 

'1  :.<-.":     ...     •:        :.:'  .    ,    .    .    ^\  .':t  \ 

at  til*  west  end.    This  church  is 

V..t,  '.•:.-:.   -:<:'\'-.'i    r,  •    '   >:.  ,:.  ].^-:.:. 

M     :'         '.'..':      .:/':     ...'     .H.Ullt         Pft     b. 

.       '.:.':    p."     .':.'.»    .-':'  V,.'. 


CHELSEA,  LOHDOH,  8.W. 

Bt.  Mary's  Church  owes  its 
foundation  to  the  Abbe*  Voyaux, 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  of 
the  tmigrt  clergy.  He  was,  at  the 
time  of  the  Revolution,  professor  of 
the  Sorboime,  hon.  canon  of  the 
BoyalChapelof  St,  Denis,  and  pre 
sident  of  the  College  of  Treneeinque* 

If.       :..    .'      r.;.:.j;r:.      ;..-     (    ..,-.  ,r:::     v,  .:  ,    •  ;, 

poor  room  over  a  shop  in  a  back 
street,'  but  his  zeal  subsequently 

-,',.-:    .- v,   <  ...    1-1^  *..  - 

recent  Church  of  St.  Mary.  The 
Abbfc  had  chiefly  in  view  thf: 
spiritual  needs  of  the  hundreds  of 
Catholic  veterans  in  the  Boyal 
Hospital  of  Chelsea,  many  of  whom 
had  lost  some  or  other  of  their 
Umtw-  in  fitting  their  pastor's 
countrymen  in  Spain  or  Flanders, 
The  cost  of  the  church  was  £6,000, 
of  which  a  considerable  portion  was 
subscribed  by  Louis  XVIIL  and 
the  exiled  nobility  of  France.  Sir 
Robert  Peel,  the  great  itttfmnnn, 
gave  £800,  The  building  WM  very 
plain  until  1856,  when  extensive 
improvements  were  effected  by 
Messrs.  Barff  &.  Co.  These  con 
sisted  of  three  fresco  altar  piece* 
in  thft  Italian  style.  The  pilasters 
of  the  church  were  adorned  with 
paintings  of  the  Apostles.  Cardinal 
Weld,  after  his  ordination  to  the 
priesthood  in  1821,  was  curate  at 


124 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Chelsea  for  some  years  till  his 
health  gave  way.  He  was  con 
secrated  Bishop  of  Amycla  in  1826, 
and  created  cardinal  at  Kome  by 
Pius  VIII.  in  March  1830.  Not 
withstanding  his  having  been  twice 
solicited  to  return  to  France  by 
Louis  XVIII.  and  Charles  X.,  the 
Abbe  Voyaux  refused  to  leave  '  his 
beloved  flock  at  Chelsea,'  though  it 
is  certain  that  an  archbishopric  and 
a  cardinal's  hat  awaited  him  in  his 
native  country.  He  died  in  Novem 
ber  1840,  aged  eighty-one.  The  old 
church  having  longoutlived  its  capa 
bilities,  Canon  Macmullen,  in  June 
1876,  appealed  for  funds  for  a  new 
building.  The  first  stone  of  the  pre 
sent  structure — designed  by  J.  F. 
Bentley — was  laid  in  July  1877  by 
Cardinal  Manning,  who  employed 
for  the  purpose  the  silver  trowel 
used  at  the  founding  of  Moorfields 
Church  in  1817.  The  building, 
which  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the 
Early  English  style,  was  opened  in 
May  1879. 


CHELTENHAM,  GLOUCESTER 
SHIRE  (Clifton).  St.  Gregory  the 
Great. 

In  October  1809,  Fr.  Aug.  Bird- 
sail,  O.S.B.,  came  to  Cheltenham 
from  Bath  and  started  the  mission. 
He  was  assisted  by  Richard  Rawe, 
Esq.,  and  on  June  3,  1810,  he 
opened  the  old  chapel,  which  was 
several  times  enlarged.  During  the 
riot  in  November  1850,  aroused  by 
the  restoration  of  the  hierarchy,  the 
building  was  much  damaged,  but 
all  the  loss  was  made  good  by  the 
Hundred,  arid  also  from  the  private 
subscriptions  of  distinguished  in 
dividuals,  as  Mr.  Greiiville  Berkeley, 
M.P.,  Colonel  the  Hon.  —  Browne, 
&c.  The  present  cruciform  church, 
designed  by  C.  Hansom,  was  opened 


by  Bishop  Clifford,  of  Clifton,  in  the 
presence  of  Cardinal  Wiseman,  the 
mayor  and  corporation,  &c.,  May 
1857.  The  east  window  is  the  gift 
of  J.  Fitzherbert,  Esq.,  of  Swyner- 
ton.  The  building  was  consecrated 
November  6,  1877. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Aug.  Birdsall,  O.S.B.,  1809. 
„    Christopher  Shann,  1834. 
„    Hy.  Paillet,  1843. 

A.  Glassbrook,  1849. 

Ambrose  Gotham,  1851. 

Robt.  Wilkinson,  1874. 

E.  Anselm  O'Gorman,  1889. 

Robt.  Wilkinson,  1890  to  date. 


CHEPSTOW,      MONMOUTHSHIRE 

(Newport}.     St.  Mary. 

Mr.  Gimter,  of  Chepstow  Grange, 
was  the  chief  Catholic  in  the  district 
at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
The  chapel  in  the  house  was  served 
by  the  Jesuits  (1685).  Fr.  W. 
Gunter,  who  suffered  for  the  Faith 
1588,  was  probably  a  member  of 
this  family.  The  mission  was  after 
wards  served  by  the  Franciscans. 
Bishop  Collingridge,  V.A.W.D., 
resided  here  for  some  time 
after  1807.  Forty  years  later  the 
mission  was  in  a  very  precarious 
condition,  being  in  want  of  a  school 
and  presbytery,  and  having  but  an 
income  of  £80  for  all  purposes. 
Catholics  then  numbered  147,  and 
in  1864  250. 

Priests  since  1824. 
Rev.  Jn.  Williams,  — . 

P.  Yates,  1831. 
-  Kelly,  1833. 

J.  Carbery,  1835. 

R,  Hartley,  1837. 

W.  Woolett,  1841. 

Thos.  Cody,  1843. 

P.  Millea,  1850. 

John  Dawson,  1852. 

Francis  Trapper,  1854. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


125 


Rev.  Thos.  Fenn,  1857. 
David  Lambe,  1861. 
John  13.  Quaid,hcre  1867,  and 

till  1895. 

M.  Vandenberghe,  1895. 
H.  E.  Stuart  Mills,  1897. 
J.  B.  Conway,  1903  to  date. 


CHERTSEY,      SURREY      (South- 

warty . 

On  the  conversion  of  Lord  and 
Lady  Holland  to  the  Catholic 
faith  in  1850,  a  domestic  chapel 
was  opened  at  St.  Anne's  Hill, 
Chertsey,  the  country  seat  of  the 
Holland  family.  For  many  years, 
Fr.  Charles  Comberbach  was  chap 
lain.  This  excellent  priest  was  a 
convert  to  Catholicity,  and  for  some 
years  before  going  to  St.  Anne's  Hill 
was  stationed  at  the  Priory,  Prince- 
thorpe.  He  died  in  1890,  aged 
ninety-two.  Lady  Holland  died  in 
1889,  when  the  estate  passed  to  her 
kinsman,  Lord  Ilchester,  a  protes- 
tant,  but  the  chapel  was  kept  up 
till  the  death  of  Fr.  Comberbach. 
For  some  years  subsequent  to  this, 
a  small  basilica- shaped  chapel  on 
the  Woburn  Park  estate  (St. 
George's  College)  did  duty  as  a 
place  of  worship  for  Chertsey 
Catholics,  who  were  under  the 
spiritual  care  of  Fr.  O.  Turner, 
prefect  of  studies  at  the  college. 
About  1893  the  mission  of  Chertsey 
was  served  every  Sunday  from  the 
diocesan  seminary,  Wonersh,  by 
Fr.  S.  Banfi,  D.D.  Fr.  Banfi  was 
succeeded  by  the  present  Fr.  Domi 
nic  Brownrigg,  of  the  Salesian  con 
gregation.  The  chapel  is  an  iron 
building  in  the  Eastwood  Road, 
and  adjoins  the  Convent  of  Our 
Lady  Help  of  Christians.  The 
congregation  is  about  100.  The 
Marquis  of  Ruvigny  and  Eaineval, 
the  distinguished  historian  and 


heraldist,  is  the  most  noted  member 
of  the  congregation. 


CHESTER     (Shrewsbury),        St. 

Werburgh,  Grove  Park  Road. 

The  mission  appears  to  have 
been  once  served  by  the  Jesuits. 
Fr.  J.  Cuffaud,  S.J.,  died  there 
March  19,  1715,  '  a  martyr  of 
charity  in  attending  the  sick 
prisoners.'  These  were  probably 
Jacobites  who  had  taken  part  in 
the  rebellion  on  behalf  of  James  III , 
the  '  Old  Pretender.'  The  chapel 
at  Chester,  dedicated  to  St.  Wer- 
burgh,  was  founded  by  Bishop 
Pens  wick  in  Queen's  Street  in  1799. 
The  seating  capacity  was  for  210. 
In  Lent  1846,  Fr.  Gaudentius  gave 
a  mission  here,  when  the  chapel 
was  '  crowded  to  suffocation  '  at  all 
three  daily  services.  In  1850  the 
Catholics  of  Chester  numbered  be 
tween  3,000  and  4,000.  The  school 
room  adjoined  the  chapel,  and 
by  cutting  holes  in  the  dividing 
wall  400  children  were  enabled  to 
hear  Mass  on  Sundays.  In  addi 
tion  to  the  civilians,  large  numbers 
of  the  garrison  were  Catholics.  In 
November  1850,  Fr.  E.  Carbery, 
the  priest  of  the  mission,  appealed 
to  Mr.  Wilbraham,  formerly  M.P. 
for  South  Cheshire,  for  help  in 
building  a  school,  but  that  gentle 
man  declined  on  the  ground  of  the 
'  insolent  usurpations  '  of  Pius  IX. 
and  Cardinal  Wiseman  in  the 
matter  of  the  restored  hierarchy. 

The  old  church  of  St.  Werburgh 
in  Queen  Street  was  replaced  by 
another  and  larger  structure  in  the 
Gothic  style  in  the  Grosvcnor  Park 
Road,  1873-5.  Between  1883-6 
nearly  £700  was  expended  in  im 
proving  the  interior  of  this  hand 
some  church.  In  April  of  the  last 


126 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


named  year  the  windows  of  the 
apse  were  filled  in  with  stained 
glass,  the  designs  being  subjects 
taken  from  Onr  Lord's  Passion. 
The  window  at  the  back  of  the 
altar — given  by  G.  Hostage,  Esq. — 
has  a  representation  of  the  Cruci 
fixion,  with  a  lower  medallion  of  St. 
George.  A  third  window  repre 
sents  the  Resurrection,  with  lower 
and  separate  views  of  the  old  and 
new  St.  Werburgh's. 
Priests. 
Rev.  Jas.  Lancaster,  1794. 

„    Thos.  Penswick,  1796. 

„    Jn.  Ashurst,  1815. 

„    Jn.  Briggs  (Bishop  of  Bever- 
ley  1850),  1818. 

„    Jn.  Wilcock,  1833. 

„    Edw.  Canon  Carbery,  1838. 

„    Hy.  Hopkins,  1861.' 

„    P.  Lahaye,  1865. 

„    W.  Walton,  1867. 

„    Canon  Buquet,  1868. 

„    Wilfrid  Dallow,  1882. 

„    Canon  Lynch,  1883. 


CHESTER.  St.  Francis,  Gros- 
venor  Street,  Franciscans. 

In  1858,  Mass  was  said  at  Bishop 
Lloyd's  house,  Water  Gate  Bow. 
In  1860  a  shed  at  25  Watergate  Bow 
was  fitted  up  as  a  chapel.  On 
June  16,  1864,  a  temporary  wooden 
chapel  for  500  persons  was  opened 
on  the  present  church  site.  The 
present  Gothic  church  was  opened 
April  29,  1875,  by  Bishop  Hedley, 
of  Newport ;  Cardinal  Manning 
preached.  The  debt  on  the  build 
ing  was  paid  off  by  the  Tatlock 
family  in  September  1899,  and  the 
edifice  consecrated  by  Bishop  Allen, 
of  Shrewsbury,  June  3,  1900.  The 
monastery  was  opened  in  1876  and 
the  schools  in  1882. 


Priests  (O.S.F.) 

Fr.  Seraphin,  1858. 

„  Elzear,  1858. 

„  Venantius,  1859. 

„  Pacificus,  1873. 

„  Nicholas,  1879. 

"  Pacificus,  1882. 

„  Modestus,  1885. 

„  Bernard,  1888. 

„  Anthony,  1889. 

„  Fidelis,  1892. 

„  Bernardine,  1895. 

„  Ambrose,  1897. 

„  Seraphin,  1898. 


CHESTER-LE-STREET,    DURHAM 

(Hexham    and    Newcastle).        St. 
Cuthbert. 

The  Recusants  of  the  district 
paid  £11,650— about  £60,000  of 
modern  money — in  fines  for  non- 
attendance  at  the  parish  church  in 
1632.  In  1847  Fr.  Jos.  Sheridan, 
O.S.B.,  of  Birtley,  had  charge  of 
the  few  Catholics  here.  The  pre 
sent  mission  dates  from  1881,  when 
the  chapel — '  a  small  brick  building 
in  a  back  lane  ' — was  opened  in 
Lumley  Terrace.  A  site  for  a  large 
church  has  recently,  it  is  said,  been 
given  by  the  Earl  of  Durham.  A 
school  chapel  (73  ft.  by  24  ft.)  was 
completed  towards  the  end  of  1888. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Hy.  Blunden,  1881. 

Michael  Greene,  1888. 

E.  Barnett,  1889. 

Geo.  Mendham,  1891. 

Ignatius  Beale,  1893. 

Francis  Holmes,  1895. 

Patrick  Kearney,  1902  to  date. 


CHESTERFIELD,       DERBYSHIRE 

(Nottingham).     Mount  St.  Mary's. 

Spinkhill,  near  Chesterfield,  was 

the  ancient  seat  of  the  Pole  family, 

and    '  one   of  the    earliest    centres 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


127 


of  labour  of  the  English  Jesuits.' 
It  is  not  quite  certain  when  the 
Fathers  first  made  the  place  their 
abode,  but  we  read  of  a  Fr.  John 
Pole,  S.J.,  being  sent  from  here  to 
Valladolid  in  1600  to  teach  theo 
logy.  The  last  of  the  family  was 
John  Pole,  Esq.,  who  died  in  1718. 
His  widow,  Madame  Ursula  Pole, 
survived  till  1751,  and  after  her 
death  the  estates  passed  to  the 
Jesuits,  under  her  husband's  will. 
There  is  a  tradition  that  Fr.  Kobert 
Parsons  (1546-1610)  lived  at  the 
hall  for  some  time.  In  1721  the 
chapel  is  described  as  containing, 
among  other  items,  a  green  silk 
vestment,  two  velvet  antependiums, 
gilt  silver  chalice  and  paten,  two 
pyxes,  missal,  four  lacquered  candle 
sticks,  etc.  Forty-seven  baptisms 
are  recorded  at  Spinkhill  between 
1757  and  1766.  Many  local 
Catholics  were  interred  in  the 
burial  ground  attached  to  the 
mission,  which  was  used  down  to 
about  1835.  Till  the  building  of 
the  new  church  in  1845,  the  chapel 
was  a  room  at  the  top  of  the  house. 
The  residence  of  the  Jesuits  was 
known  in  the  registers  of  the 
Society  as  the  *  College  of  the  Im 
maculate  Conception,'  but  there  is 
still  some  doubt  whether  the  place 
during  the  penal  times  was  not  also 
a  real  school  where  Catholic  boys 
were  secretly  instructed.  The 
present  College  was  commenced 
in  1842.  Between  1844-6  was 
erected  the  first  portion  of  the 
fine  block  of  buildings  of  the 
College  of  Mount  St.  Mary's,  'to 
prepare  youths ' — so  the  first  pro 
spectus  ran — '  for  the  higher  ecclesi 
astical  studies  or  for  commercial 
pursuits.'  The  Church  was  opened 
by  Bishop  Walsh,  V.A.,  September 
21, 1846.  The  building  was  redecor 
ated  and  a  new  Gothic  altar  erected, 
1896.  A  sacrist  v  and  south  tribune 


were  added  1864.  The  old  Spink 
hill  chapel  is  now  used  for  sodality 
meetings.  The  new  college  build 
ings  were  erected  1876-7.  Like 
Stonyhurst,  St.  Edmund's,  and  other 
Catholic  foundations  of  a  similar 
nature,  the  college  has  long  since 
outgrown  its  original  dimensions, 
and  now  ranks  as  one  of  the  most 
complete  educational  establish 
ments  in  England.  The  number 
of  students  is  about  150. 

Rectors  of  the  College  (S.J.) 
Eev.  Wm.  Cobb,  1846. 

Francis  Clough,  1847. 

John  Baron,  1848. 

Maurice  Mann,  1854. 

Geo.  Tickell,  1859. 

Thos.  Williams,  1862. 

Thos.  Dykes,  1873. 

John  Clayton,  1879. 

Henry  Parker,  1888. 

Geo.  Haggins,  1893. 

Francis  Payne,  1901  to  date. 


CHICHESTEK,     SUSSEX     (South- 
•    warty.    St.  Richard. 

The    first     priest    to    reside    at 
I    Chichester  was  Fr.  John  McDonald, 
I    in    1854,    during    which  year    the 
I    church     was     commenced.       The 
opening  took  place  in    1855.     The 
style  is  Early  English.     The  struc- 
ture  comprises  a  nave,  chancel,  and 
!    sacristy  from  the  design  by  War- 
dell.      Fr.   J.    F.    Wilkinson    was 
incumbent  from  1855  till  his  death 
in  October  1866.     While    a   priest 
at   Clewer    Green,   near   Windsor, 
he    had    '  the    somewhat   unusual 
honour  '  of  being  presented  to  King 
William   IV.  by  Lord   Melbourne. 
He  lies  interred  in  the  church  near 
the  vault  of  the   late   Lady  New- 
burgh,  who  died  in  1860. 

Priests. 

Eev.  Jn.  McDonald,  1854. 
„    J.  F.  Wilkinson,  1855. 
„    Victor  Duke,  1866 


128 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Rev.  Thos.  Lalor,  1874. 
„    Edward  Clcry,  1878. 
„    W.  Bolgcr,  1897. 
„    Edmund  Miller,  1900  to  date. 


CHIDEOCK,  DORSET  (Plymouth). 

Our  Lady  of  Martyrs  and  St.  Ig 
natius. 

Chideock  Castle,  once  the  posses 
sion  of  the  noble  family  of  Arundell 
of  Wardour,  and  now  belonging  to 
the  Welds,  was  noted  during  the 
penal  times  as  a  refuge  for  priests, 
of  whom  some  three  were  appre 
hended  here.1  The  castle  was 
held  for  Charles  I.  in  the  Civil  War, 
and  appears  after  that  to  have  fallen 
into  decay.  The  gateway  was  taken 
down  in  1741,  and  the  tower  was 
in  ruins  in  175G.  After  the  dis 
mantling  of  the  castle,  the  chapel 
was  removed  to  the  upper  room  of 
a  cottage  in  North  Chideock. 
Another  was  opened  on  Easter 
Sunday  1811.  The  pious  wish  for 
a  really  fine  church  was  finally 
realised  in  1884,  when  the  present 
building  was  opened  by  Bishop 
Yaughan,  of  Plymouth. 
Priests  at  Chideock  (early  list  in 
complete). 
Rev.  T.  Pilchard,  martyr,  1584-7. 

,,    J.  Cornelius,  martyr,  prior  to 
1594. 

„    Hugh  Green,  1605.    Martyred 
1642. 

„    —  Higgs,  1680. 

„    F.  Wm.  Byfleet,  about  1695 
till  1746. 


1  (1)  Rev.  Thos.  Pilchard,  M.  A.  (Balliol 
Coll.,  Oxon.),  suffered  at  Dorchester  for 
the  Faith,  March  21,  1587;  (2)  Rev. 
J.  Cornelius  at  the  same  place,  July  4, 
1594  ;  (3)  Rev.  Hugh  Green,  executed  at 
Dorchester,  August  19,  1642,  for  exercis 
ing  his  functions  as  a  priest.  He  had 
been  at  Chideock  upwards  of  thirtj'-seven 
years. 


Rev.  Charles   and   Richard    Shim 

mell,  1762-3. 

„    Joseph  Clossette,  1779  (?). 
„    Philip  Compton,  d.  1788. 
„    Thos.  Lewis,  1788-1809. 
„    Thos.  Tilbury,  1809-40. 
„    Wm.  Bond,  1840. 
„    Robt.  Platt,  1844. 
„    M.  Ryan,  1844-50. 

Mission  vacant  1850-3. 
„    Thos.  Basil,  O.S  B.,  1853. 
„    Jn.  Gallagher,  1853-4. 
„    Charles     W.     Price,    O.S.B., 

1854. 

„    John  Sinnot,  O.S.B.,  1855. 
„    J.  B.  Caldwell,  O.S.B.,  1857. 
„    C.   W.    Price    (second    time)! 

1861. 

„    T.  Fenn,  1866. 
„    Henry  Blunden,  here  1872. 
„    Joseph  Toohey,  1874. 
„    Francis  Rotterman,  1877. 
„    Joseph  Verres,  D.D.,  1885. 
„    Richard      Canon      Mansfield, 

1888. 

„    Joseph  Randal  Hurley,  1895. 
„    Hugh  C.  Briggs,  1899. 
„    Charles  Gandy,  1903  to  date. 

CHILD'S  HILL,  HAMPSTEAD, 
N.W.  (Westminster). 

This  mission — an  offshoot  from 
that  of  Hampstead — was  opened  by 
Canon  Purcel.  The  temporary 
chapel  of  the  Convent  of  Franciscan 
Sisters  was  blessed,  and  Mass  said 
there  for  the  first  time  on  November 
14, 1883.  A  house  belonging  to  the 
Sisters  was  used  as  a  temporary 
chapel  and  school.  The  Catholic 
population  in  1883  was  about  100. 
For  some  time  the  mission  was 
served  by  the  Passionist  Fathers  of 
Highgate,  Mass  being  said  in  the 
house  of  a  Catholic  resident.  The 
church  was  solemnly  opened  May 
22,  1888,  by  Dr.  Weathers,  Bishop 
of  Amycla.  The  building  can  ac 
commodate  about  250.  Among 
those  who  assisted  the  building 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


129 


fund  were  Miss  Mary  Anderson 
(Madame  Navarro),  the  celebrated 
actress,  Madame  Schumann,  the 
Baroness  Von  Hugel,  Major  Gape, 
&c. 


CHILWORTH,  near  GUILDFORD, 
SURREY  (Southwarty.  The  Holy 
Ghost. 

The  Franciscan  priory  and 
church,  in  the  Gothic  style,  were 
opened  on  Thursday,  June  31, 1892, 
by  Bishop  Patterson.  The  cost  of 
erection  (£7,000)  was  defrayed  by 
Mgr.  Wells,  who  further  made  a 
gift  of  £5,000  to  the  Fathers  to 
free  the  church,  etc.,  from  debt. 
The  monastery  serves  as  the  novi 
tiate  for  the  English  Franciscans. 
The  Kev.  Fr.  Bede,  the  first  guardian 
or  superior  of  the  place,  did  much 
to  draw  a  congregation  to  the 
church,  and  would  no  doubt  have 
formed  the  nucleus  of  a  permanent 
one,  when  he  was  recalled  to  take 
up  important  mission  work  in  the 
East  End  of  London.  The  archi 
tect  of  the  friary  was  F.  A.  Walters, 
Esq.,  of  Westminster.  The  interior 
of  the  church  is  very  striking,  the 
chief  objects  of  interest  being  a 
handsome  rood,  carved  oak  choir 
stalls,  and  mortuary  chapel  adorned 
with  a  handsome  triptych  of  the 
Flemish  school. 


CHIPPENHAM,  WILTS  (Clifton). 
St.  Mary. 

The  mission  was  started  1854. 
The  chapel  was  erected  by  Jn. 
Pollen,  Esq.,  of  Eadbourne,  and 
opened  August  22, 1855.  For  some 
years  the  place  was  served  from 
Bath,  Frome,  and  Devizes,  but  be 
came  an  independent  mission  about 
1870. 


Priests  since  1870. 
Kev.  Hy.  Hancock. 

„    Jn.  Corbishley,  1882. 
„    Geo.  Bailey,  1888. 
„    Ignatius  Gurd,  1897. 
„    Francis  McElmail,  1904. 


CHIPPING,      LANCS      (Salford). 
St.  Mary,  School  Lane. 

James  Dewhurst,  Esq.,  of  Lea- 
gram  Hall,  was  prosecuted  in  1586 
for  harbouring  one  Guile,  '  a  Popish 
priest.'  The  hall  afterwards  came 
into  the  possession  of  the  Welds, 
and  at  the  '  Lawnd '  or  lodge  of 
the  estate  lived  Fr.  Richard  Pen- 
coth,  or  Penketh,  S.J.,  who  died 
here  in  August  1721  after  many 
years'  missionary  labour.  A  chapel 
appears  to  have  been  built  some 
time  prior  to  the  accession  of 
James  II.,  and  another  in  1787  by 
Thos.  Weld,  Esq.  This  latter  edifice 
measured  60  ft.  by  25  ft.,  and  wa& 
of  very  plain  style.  A  third  chapel 
was  erected  in  1827-8,  and  was 
served  by  the  Jesuits  till  1857. 
The  site  was  presented  by  Mr. 
Weld. 

Priests  since  1825. 
Eev.  J.  Reeve. 

P.  Morrin,  1828. 

Edw.  Morrin,  1832. 

—  Peacock,  1834. 

Edw.  Morrin,  1836. 

Felix  Poole,  1840. 

Jn.  Middlehurst,  1842. 

Jas.  Bateman,  1846. 

Peter  de  Blon,  1857. 

Jn.  Canon  Rimmer,  1860. 

Isidore    de    Gryse,    1866     to 
date. 


CHIPPING     NORTON,     OXFORD 
SHIRE  (Birmingham). 

The  mission  was  established  in 
K 


130 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


1834,  mainly  through  a  bequest  of 
one  Mary  Bowden,  and  the  chapel, 
in  the  Classical  style,  erected  1837. 
An  endowment  was  settled  upon 
the  incumbent  by  Miss  Mary  Bow- 
den.  To  commemorate  the  jubilee 
of  the  church  a  new  chapel,  sacristy, 
and  organ  loft  were  built  by  sub 
scription  in  1888. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Patrick  Heffernan,  1834. 

„    Canon  Mitchell,  1838. 

„    Joseph  Abbott,  1854. 

„    Samuel  Sole,  1879  to  date. 


CHIPPING-SODBURY,  GLOUCES- 
TERSHIKE  (Clifton).  St.  Laurence. 

A  mission  was  established  at  Hor- 
ton  in  1708,  when  John  Paston, 
Esq.,  of  Norfolk,  came  '  to  reside 
on  his  Gloucestershire  estates.'  On 
the  death  of  Wm.  Paston,  Esq.,  in 
1763,  the  estate  was  sold.  Fr.  Jas. 
Placid  Waters,  O.S.B.,  was  chaplain 
1772-7.  As  late  as  1855  there  was 
living  at  Horton  a  very  old  man  who 
remembered  Mass  being  said  at  the 
'  Manor  House '  in  Mr.  Wm.  Pas- 
ton's  time.  After  the  selling  of  the 
estate,  F.  F.  Pembridge  and  Ains- 
worth  attended  the  mission.  In 
1815,  during  Fr.  Birdsall's  time, 
the  chapel  was  an  upper  room  of  a 
poor  thatched  cottage.  A  deal  table 
served  as  an  altar,  and  the  congre 
gation  consisted  of  about  ten  per 
sons.  The  chapel  at  the  old  hall 
remained  intact  as  late  as  1833,  and 
contained,  inter  alia, "  a  well  carved 
oak  altar,  a  mahogany  tabernacle, 
two  old  candlesticks,  and  a  little 
bell  on  the  altar  steps  on  the  epistle 
side  with  Ave  Maria  round  the 
rim.'  The  place  is  now  the  village 
school.  The  mission  at  Chipping- 
Sodbury  proper  was  started  in 
1838,  the  foundress  being  Mrs. 


Sarah  Neve,  widow  of  the  Rev. 
Egerton  Neve,  a  clergyman  of  the 
Established  Church.  She  was  the 
sister  of  the  Countess  de  Front,  wife 
of  Philip  Count  de  Front,  the  Sar 
dinian  minister  to  the  Court  of  St. 
James's  (d.  1812),  and  known  as  a 
great  benefactress  to  the  Dover 
mission.  Mrs.  Neve  purchased  the 
largest  inn  at  Chipping- Sodbury  for 
£1,300,  and  converted  it  into  a 
chapel  and  presbytery.  The  priests 
there  were  Fr.Thos.  Boiling,  O.S.B. 
(October  26,  1838-40) ;  Fr.  Jerome 
Jenkins,  O.S.B.  (1840-1);  Fr. 
Bernard  Paillet  (1841)  ;  Fr.  Igna 
tius  Sutton  (1841-  5) ;  Fr.  Ambrose 
Duck  (1845-6) ;  Fr.  Maurus  Cooper 
(1846- January  1,  1869).  Since  his 
death  the  chief  incumbents  have 
been  Fr.  Placid  Sinnot ;  Fr.  Ed 
mund  Caldwell,  Fr.  Ignatius  Stuart. 
The  Catholic  population  of  the 
place  was  about  sixty  in  February 
1897. 


CHISLEHURST,  KENT  (South- 
St.  Mary. 

This  mission  dates  from  1852. 
The  present  cruciform  church  was 
opened  August  8,  1854,  mainly 
owing  to  the  munificence  of  Cap 
tain  Bowden,  of  the  Scots  Guards. 
Local  Catholicity  made  great  strides 
under  Canon  Todd,  the  well-known 
founder  of  the  Boys'  Orphanage, 
Blackheath.  Most  of  the  congrega 
tion  in  his  time  (1855-60)  consisted 
of  poor  Irish  employed  in  the  mills 
at  Crayford,  St.  Mary  Cray,  and 
adjoining  districts.  During  Canon 
Todd's  incumbency,  the  present  fine 
presbytery,  in  the  Gothic  style,  was 
erected  and  opened.  The  mission 
will  always  be  associated  with  the 
exile  of  Napoleon  III.,  Emperor  of 
the  French,  who,  after  the  Franco- 
i  German  war,  resided  at  Camden 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


131 


House,  Chislehurst,  from  1871  till 
his  death  in  1873  (January  9). 
Her  Imperial  Majesty  the  Empress 
Eugenie,  and  their  son,  the  ill-fated 
Prince  Imperial,  were  familiar 
figures  in  the  neighbourhood.  The 
Prince  Imperial,  after  completing 
his  studies  at  Woolwich,  joined  the 
Artillery  (1875),  and  in  March  1879 
proceeded  to  Zululand  as  a  volun 
teer  on  Lord  Chelmsford's  staff. 
On  June  1  he  was  slain  while  on 
reconnaissance.  His  obsequies  at 
Chislehurst  were  attended  by  the 
Prince  of  Wales  and  a  crowd  of  nota 
bles  (July  12, 1879) .  Bishop  Danell, 
of  Southwark,  sang  the  Mass,  as 
sisted  by  Canons  Wenham  Moore, 
Mgr.  Goddard,  Fr.  Sammons,  &c. 
In  1888  the  bodies  of  Napoleon  III. 
and  the  prince  were  removed  to  the 
Imperial  Mausoleum,  Farnborough 
(Hants),  since  1881  the  residence  of 
the  Empress  Eugenie — 'the  sole 
remnant  of  a  shipwreck  which 
proves  how  fragile  and  vain  are  the 
grandeurs  of  this  world.' l  Mgr. 
Goddard,  rector  since  1870,  was  suc 
ceeded  by  Fr.  A.  Boone,  the  present 
incumbent.  A  notable  feature  of  the 
church  is  the  beautiful  recumbent 
monument  to  the  Prince  Imperial, 
erected  by  Mgr.  Goddard  shortly 
before  he  left  the  mission.  A  fine 
stained  glass  window  and  wrought 
iron  screen  were  added  to  the 
Sacred  Heart  Chapel  in  October 
1906. 


CHISWICK,  W.  (Westminster). 
Our  Lady  of  Grace  and  St.  Edward. 

Mission  established  at  Turnham 
Green  May  3,  1864,  by  Fr.  Ryan. 
Countess  Tasker  built  the  school, 
opened  February  2,  1865.  By  1880 
the  district,  which  hitherto  had  been 

1  Letter  of  H.I.  Majesty  to  Mgr. 
Goddard  on  his  jubilee,  June  1885. 


one  of  market  gardens,  was  built 
over.  The  present  church,  in  the 
basilica  style,  was  opened  in  Octo 
ber  1886  by  Cardinal  Manning, 
The  accommodation  is  for  about 
600 ;  cost  of  erection,  £3,400. 

Priests. 
Eev.  M.  Kyan,  1864. 

„    John  Doherty,  1869. 

„    Reginald  Canon  Tuke,  1881. 

,    J.  Keating. 


CHORLEY,  WELD  BANK,  LANGS 

(Liverpool).  St.  Gregory  the  Great. 
The  present  mission  is  the  repre 
sentative  of  an  ancient  one  at  Burgh 
Hall,  the  seat  of  the  Rigby  family. 
After  the  death  of  the  last  member, 
Sir  Alex.  Rigby,  about  1700,  the 
estate  passed  to  the  Chadwicks.  In 
1774  Mr.  Thomas  Weld,  fnther  of 
Cardinald  Weld,  presented  the  mis 
sion  with  a  chapel  site  at  Chorley, 
and  the  priest,  Fr.  J.  Chadwick, 
V.G.  to  Bishop  Gibson,  removed 
thither.  From  this  time  the  place 
was  known  as  Weld  Bank.  His 
successor,  Fr.  R.  Thompson,  V.G., 
erected  the  present  chapel  (1815). 
The  high  altar  was  put  up  by  Fr. 
Lennon  (1870-96).  In  1854  the  con 
gregation  numbered  1,000.  When 
the  church  was  enlarged  (1877) 
Catholics  of  the  district  were  esti 
mated  at  5,000. 


CHORLTON,  LANCS  (Salford). 
St.  Augustine. 

St.  Peter's  Priory  (Gregorians) 
was  opened  here  1892.  The  insti 
tute  appears  to  have  been  discon 
tinued  after  1896,  when  the  mission 
was  continued  by  seculars. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Jerome  Vaughan,  1892. 

„    Paul  Klootson,  1896. 

„    Fredk.  Holt,  1897  to  date. 
K  2 


132 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


CHRIST  CHURCH,  HANTS  (Ports 
mouth).  The  Immaculate  Concep 
tion  and  St.  Joseph. 

A  mission  was  opened  at  Burton 
Green,  near  Christ  Church  at  the 
commencement  of  the  last  century 
by  the  Abbe  A.  Cochet,  an  emigre 
priest.  As  the  congregation  was 
very  poor,  the  Abbe  supplemented 
his  income  by  taking  pupils.  The 
Abbe  would  appear  to  have  returned 
to  France  at  the  restoration  of 
Louis  XVIII.  (1815).  In  1822  the 
priest  at  Burton  Green  was  Fr.  J. 
Stapleton,  and  in  1835  Fr.  K.  Kelly. 
In  1864  (November)  Bishop  Grant, 
of  Southwark,  authorised  by  letter 
the  Rev.  B.  Van  Reeth,  the  priest 
of  the  mission,  '  to  collect  funds 
towards  building  a  small  church  in 
the  town.'  The  last  priest  at  Bur 
ton  Green  was  Fr.  Van  Eeeth,  who 
transferred  the  mission  to  Christ 
Church.  The  present  church  was 
opened  December  1866.  A  reredos 
and  organ  were  added  October  3878. 
Mr.  Sperati,  of  Highbury,  London, 
presented  ground  for  a  cemetery, 
which  was  consecrated,  June  1880. 


CHUDLEIGH,  UGBROOKE,  DEVON 

(Plymouth).     St.  Cyprian. 

Thomas  first  Lord  Clifford 
erected  a  domestic  chapel  at  Ug- 
brooke  Park  1671.  After  his  con 
version  he  fitted  it  up  in  a  splendid 
manner  for  Catholic  worship  (1672). 
The  altar  plate  cost  upwards  of 
£227.  Next  year  the  Test  Act 
ousted  Lord  Clifford  from  his  posi 
tion  as  Lord  Treasurer  (1673),  an 
event  which  his  lordship  only  sur 
vived  a  few  months.  He  was  buried 
'  in  his  owne  chappell.'  A  cemetery 
for  Catholics  was  afterwards  opened 
at  the  rear  of  the  building. 


Priests. 

Rev.  Thos.  Risdon,  1701. 

,,    Dominic      Derbyshire,     O.P., 

1735. 

James  Price,  O.S.B.,  1757. 
Jas.  Frost,  O.S.F.,  1758. 
Wm.  Strickland,  S.J.,  1766. 
Jos.    Reeve,    S.J.,   1767   (died 

here  1820,  net.  87). 
Felix  Vauquelin,  1794. 
Jas.  Laurenson,  S.J.,  1816. 
Jas.  Brownbill,  S.J.,  1830. 
Wm.  Gotham,  S.J.,  1834. 
Chas.  Lomax,  S.J.,  1845. 
Hy.  Brigham,  S.J.,  1856. 
Pat.  Walsh,  1867. 
Mgr.  Thos.  Reekie,  1877. 
Hy.  Dowsett,  1901  to  date. 


CIRENCESTER,  GLOUCESTER 
SHIRE  (Clifton).  St.  Peter. 

Fr.  Anselm  Glassbrook,  O.S.B., 
fitted  up  '  a  neat  little  chapel  capa 
ble  of  holding  100  persons,'  which 
was  opened  January  23, 1855.  This 
was  the  first  time  that  Mass  had 
been  said  in  the  town  since  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth.  A  larger  chapel 
was  opened  in  1862.  This  continued 
till  the  completion  of  the  present 
fine  church  in  1896.  For  some 
years  after  the  mission  was  com 
menced  it  was  served  from  Fairford 
and  Stroud.  In  1875  it  was  served 
from  Woodchester,  but  only  at  '  the 
Eight  Indulgences,'  and  this  state 
of  dependence  still  continued  in 
1883.  By  1891  the  mission  had  a 
resident  priest,  Fr.  Jas.  O'Shaugh- 
nessy.  Fr.  J.  Martin  is  the  present 
rector. 


CLACTON-ON-SEA,  ESSEX  (West 
minster).  Our  Lady  of  Light. 

For  some  time  prior  to  1884  Fr. 
King  used  to  come  over  once  a 
month  and  say  Mass  in  a  disused 
Martello  tower.  The  only  Catholics 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


133 


at  Clacton  at  that  time  were  some 
coastguards  and  their  families.  In 
1884  Fr.  Beale  hired  the  Town  Hall 
for  Mass  on  Sundays.  Owing  to  the 
generosity  of  two  Catholic  ladies,  a 
chapel  was  opened  at  Montfort 
House,  in  the  Church  Eoad,  in  June 
1895.  Mass  was  said  here  on 
June  27  by  Fr.  Beale,  the  sermon 
being  preached  by  Fr.  Lucas.  The 
mission  is  now  in  charge  of  the 
Oblatcs  of  St.  Charles. 


CLAPHAM, LONDON,  S.W.  (South- 
war k).     St.  Mary. 

On  August  1,  1848,  the  Redemp- 
torist  Fathers  took  possession  of 
the  old  mansion  which  had  for 
merly  belonged  to  Lord  Teign- 
mouth,  and  in  which  the  famous 
'  Clapham  sect '  had  so  often  met. 
One  of  the  rooms  was  converted 
into  a  chapel,"  and  continued  to 
serve  the  mission  till  the  opening 
of  the  present  church,  which  was 
consecrated  by  Cardinal  Wiseman, 
October  13,  1852.  Since  that  time 
no  fewer  than  eight  missions  have 
been  formed  out  of  the  wide  area 
formerly  served  by  the  Redemptorist 
Fathers.  The  old  house  has  re 
cently  been  supplanted  by  a  new 
monastery.  The  church,  which 
was  used  for  the  first  time  on 
May  14,  1851,  was  designed  by 
Wardell.  Above  the  chancel  arch  j 
is  a  fine  fresco  by  Settegast.  of 
Coblentz,  representing  the  '  Last  I 
Judgment.'  The  accommodation 
is  for  about  600  persons.  The  | 
jubilee  of  the  establishment  of  the 
mission  was  celebrated  in  the  j 
summer  of  1898.  The  first  Fathers  j 
to  reside  in  the  locality  were  the  j 
Rev.  Frs.  de  Held  and  Petcherine, 
C.S.S.R.  Not  far  from  the  monas 
tery  stands  the  mother  house  of 
the  Notre  I)amc  Order,  which  also  ' 


dates   its   commencement    in   this 
country  from  1848. 

CIAPHAM,  S.W.  St.  Vincent  of 
Paul.  See  APPENDIX. 

CLAPHAM  PARK,  LONDON,  S.W. 

St.  Bede,  Thornton  Road. 

In  September  1903  a  large  man 
sion  in  the  Thornton  Road  was 
opened  as  a  preparatory  school  to 
St.  John's  Seminary,  Wonersh. 
The  number  of  students  in  resi 
dence  is  about  sixteen.  The  church 
adjoining  is  a  plain  commodious 
building  in  the  Romanesque  style, 
opened  early  in  1906.  The  school 
is  dedicated  to  St.  John  Berchmans. 

Rectors. 
Rev.  G.  Fitzgibbon,  1903. 

„    M.  P.  Hanlon,  1905. 

„    A.  Armstrong,  1906. 


CLAPTON,  LONDON,  N.E.  (West 
minster).  St.  Scholastica's. 

The  mission  was  founded  in  1862 
by  the  Fathers  of  Charity  from 
Kingsland.  Till  1877  the  chapel 
was  a  rented  room  in  the  London 
Road.  In  the  November  of  the 
last-named  year,  Canon  Bamber,  of 
Thorndon,  Essex,  presided  at  a 
meeting  to  consider  the  erection  of 
a  permanent  chapel.  Fr.  R.  Swift 
was  the  priest  in  charge  of  the 
mission.  As  an  outcome  of  the 
meeting  a  permanent  chapel  was 
opened  about  1880.  Fr.  Swift  was 
succeeded  by  Fr.  Biale,  the  present 
rector. 


CLAUGHTON-  ON  -BROCK,  GAR- 
STANG,  LANCS  (Liverpool).  St. 
Thomas. 

'  Claughton  Chapel,'  near  Gar- 
stang,  was  the  subject  of  a  public 
inquiry  in  1591.  The  regular 
succession  of  priests  here  dates 


184 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


from  the  time  of  Charles  I.  Fr. 
T.  Whittaker,  who  suffered  for  the 
Faith  August  7,  1646,  was  priest 
here.  His  portrait  was  preserved 
at  the  English  College,  Douai,  till 
the  time  of  the  Revolution,  and  a 
life-size  statue  was  erected  to  the 
memory  of  the  martyr  at  Claughton- 
on-Brock  Church  in  September 
1882.  The  next  priests  were:— 
Frs.  T.  Walmsley  (1665),  E.  Black 
burn  (1683),  T.  Taylor  (1726), 
R.  Birtwistle  (1727),  Brockholes 
(1740).  Under  Fr.  J.  Parkinson 
the  chapel  was  opened  over  the 
presbytery,  1744.  It  was  enlarged 
in  1794  by  Fr.  Jn.  Barrow,  and 
again  in  1805  by  Fr.  H.  Gradwell. 
Mgr.  Robt.  Gradwell,  who  was 
priest  from  1811,  was  appointed 
rector  of  the  English  College, 
Rome,  in  1818.  His  brother  Henry 
succeeded  at  Claughton-on-Brock, 
where  he  continued  till  his  death  in 
1860.  The  schools,  which  date 
from  1840,  are  due  to  a  bequest  from 
Mrs.  Catherine  Gill.  A  baptistery 
and  confessional  were  added  to  the 
church  in  1883.  The  cemetery, 
opened  in  1873,  was  given  by  T.  F. 
Brockholes,  Esq.  The  belfry  was 
erected  in  1897  in  memory  of  the 
late  Queen's  jubilee.  In  December 
1899  the  late  rector,  Mgr.  Grad 
well,  nephew  of  the  bishop,  cele 
brated  the  golden  jubilee  of  his 
priesthood. 


CLAY  CROSS,  NORTH  DERBY 
SHIRE  (Nottingham}.  SS.  Patrick 
and  Bridget. 

On  the  death  of  the  last  member 
of  the  ancient  Catholic  family  of 
Hunloke,  the  chapel  at  Birdholme 
was  discontinued  (1859  ?).  In  1862, 
when  the  estimated  CathoUo  popu 
lation  of  Clay  Cross  was  upwards 
of  450,  the  Bishop  of  Nottingham 
caused  a  plain  but  commodious 


chapel  in  the  Gothic  style  to  be 
erected.  It  was  opened  on  June  1 
of  the  same  year,  but  for  some  time 
Mass  was  only  said  there  occasion 
ally.  Fr.  A.  McKenna,  of  Ilkes- 
ton,  had  charge  of  the  mission  in 
1863.  He  came  over  once  a  fort 
night,  said  Mass  at  Clay  Cross,  and 
attended  sick  calls.  The  new 
church  was  opened  by  the  Bishop 
of  Nottingham,  Thursday,  Novem 
ber  9, 1882.  The  building  is  Gothic, 
consisting  of  nave,  chancel,  and 
Lady  Chapel.  The  accommoda 
tion  is  for  200.  The  site  and  much 
of  the  cost  of  the  new  church  were 
provided  by  W.  Arkwright,  Esq. 


CLAYTON  GREEN,  LANCS  (Liver 
pool).  St.  Bede. 

There  were  many  '  schismatic 
Catholicks '  reported  to  be  living  in 
this  district,  1590.  No  mission, 
however,  was  founded  here  till 
1822,  when  Fr.  S.  Day  commenced 
the  chapel  opened  in  1824.  The 
mission  is  served  by  the  Bene 
dictines. 

Priests. 
Rev.  S.  Day,  1822. 

Thos.  Caldwell,  1836. 
James  Dowding,  1840. 
Wilfrid  Phillipson,  1876. 
Jn.  Placid  O'Brien,  1879. 
Augustine       (Abbot)      Bury, 

1885. 
Leonard  Davies,  1895  to  date. 


CLEATOR,  CUMBERLAND  (Hex- 
ham  and  Newcastle}.  Sacred  Heart 
of  Our  Lady. 

A  chapel  was  established  here 
1853-4,  under  the  title  of  St.  Bega. 
The  accommodation  was  for  500- 
600.  Owing  to  the  working  of  the 
rich  hematite  iron  mines  in  the 
district,  the  population  greatly 
increased,  so  that  by  1869  the 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


135 


Catholic  section  alone  was  esti 
mated  at  5,000.  On  October  3  of 
the  last-named  year,  the  first  stone 
of  the  present  church  was  laid  by 
Bishop  Chadwick,  of  Hexham,  and 
the  building  was  opened  1872. 
The  style  is  cruciform  and  Gothic  ; 
architect,  E.  W.  Pugin  ;  cost,  about 
£5,000  ;  dimensions,  130  ft.  by  50ft. 

Priests  (O.S.B.). 
Eev.  W.  Holden,  1853. 

„    Francis  Williams,  1860  et  seq. 

„    Matthew     Brierley,    here    in 
1871. 

„    Jn.  Burchall,  1877. 

„    Essington  Boss,  1888. 

„    Joseph  Warden,  1890. 

„    Thos.  McCabe,  1891. 

„    Edward  Ward,  1893. 

„    Bobt.  Kershaw,  1902  to  date. 


CLEEKENWELL,    LONDON,    E.C. 

(Westminster).       SS.     Peter     and 
Paul,  Bosoman  Street. 

This  mission  was  established  in 
1843  by  Fr.  J.  Hearne,  and  was  for 
some  time  known  as  the   Saffron 
Hill  Mission.    The  first  chapel  was 
a  room  of  No.  1  Leicester  Place, 
Saffron  Hill.     In  1847  '  a  spacious 
Baptist    chapel'    in   Upper    Boso 
man    Street    was    purchased     for 
£2,300  and  fitted  up  as  a  Catholic 
church.     The  style  of  the  building 
is  Grecian,  and  the  accommodation 
is  for  about  1,000  persons.    Various 
improvements    were     effected     in 
1856,  when  the  galleries  were  re 
duced   and    open    seats    provided. 
The   first   priests    of    the    mission 
were    Spanish — Frs.    Herera    and 
Farria.     The  next  to  succeed  were 
the     Bevs.    P.    McClean    and    C. 
Woolett.      Fr.    McClean    died    in 
1850,  when  Fr.  J.   Kyne  was  ap 
pointed.     In  1864  the  priests  were 
the    Bevs.    Walter    McAvila    and 
Cyriacus  Herdel,    Fr.  Zsilkay  was 


rector  1875,  Fr.  Biemans  in  1885, 
Fr.  A.  Pownall  1898,  Fr.  G,  Curtis 
1904. 


CLEVEDON,  SOMERSET  (Clifton). 
The  Immaculate  Conception. 

The  Franciscans,  expelled  from 
France  by  the  Jules  Ferry  laws  of 
1881-82,  settled  in  Clevedon  and 
acquired  the  premises  formerly 
known  as  the  Boyal  Hotel.  Here 
they  established  a  monastery  and 
chapel.  On  January  17,  1884,  the 
structure  was  seriously  injured  by 
a  fire,  but  the  rest  of  the  building 
was  happily  saved  from  destruction, 
though  much  church  furniture  was 
destroyed.  A  new  bell,  weighing 
over  400  cwt.,  was  hung  in  the 
belfry  of  the  new  church  during 
the  course  of  its  erection,  Sep 
tember  1886. 


CLIFFORD,  YORKS  (Leeds). 

The  town  is  considered  by  some 
to  give  its  name  to  the  ancient 
Catholic  family  of  Clifford-Con 
stable.  The  church  was  opened 
January  18,  1842.  A  great  'mis 
sion  '  was  given  here  in  December 
1849  by  Fr.  Furlong,  which  was 
attended  by  '  vast  crowds.' 

Priests. 
Rev.  Edw.  Clifford,  1842. 

,,    James  Cullimore,  1860. 

„    Matthew  Gosse,  1904. 


CLIFTON,  SOMERSET.  Pro- 
Cathedral  of  the  Apostles. 

The  site  of  the  church  was  pur 
chased  in  1833  by  Fr.  Edge  worth, 
one  of  the  priests  at  St.  Joseph's, 
Trenehard  Street.  This  excellent 
missioner  greatly  distinguished 
himself  by  his  '  humanity  and 
courage '  during  the  terrible  Be- 
form  riots  at  Bristol  in  1831.  A 


136 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


temporary  chapel  was  opened  on 
the  ground  in  1842,  but  the  expenses 
incurred  were  too  much  for  Fr. 
Edgeworth,  and,  becoming  bank 
rupt,  he  had  to  retire  to  Antwerp 
(1844).  The  old  title  of  the  church 
was  St.  Augustine  Apostle  of  Eng 
land.  Bishop  Ullathorne,  after  his 
consecration  as  V.A.W.D.  in  June 
1846,  made  this  his  vicarial  church. 

Priests. 

Rev.  F.  Edgeworth,  1842. 
„    T.  M.  Macdonnell,  1844. 
„    Bishop    Ullathorne,    admini 
strator,  1846. 

.,    Wm.      J.     Vaughan,       1849 
(Bishop  of  Plymouth  in  suc 
cession  to  Bishop  Erringtoii, 
1855  ;  d.  October  25,  1902). 
„    F.  K.  Canon  Neve,  1855. 
„    John  Canon  Bonomi,  1863. 
„    Provost     F.     Neve     (second 

time),  1870. 

„    Mgr.  John  Clarke,  D.D.,  V.G. 
,,  Arthur    Canon  Russell,  V.G., 

1893. 

„    David   Canon   O'Brien,   1904 
to  date. 


CLIFTON  HILL,  near  GARSTANG, 
LANCS  (Liverpool). 

The  church  of  SS.  Catharine  and 
Barbara  was  erected  between  1878 
and  June  1880  by  Mrs.  Fitzherbert- 
Brockholes.  The  congregation  in 
1880  numbered  fifty-two,  and  the 
seating  capacity  of  the  church  is  for 
double  that  number.  The  mission 
was  formerly  served  by  the  do 
mestic  chapel  at  Clifton  Hill,  the 
residence  of  the  Gillows. 

Priests. 
Rev.  E.  Swarbrick,  1878. 

„    Alf.  Walmsley,  1885. 

„    Jn.  Crilly,  1889. 

„    Rd.  Barton,  1891. 

„    Pat.  Delany,  1901  to  date. 


CLITHEROE,  LANCS  (Salford). 
SS.  Michael  and  John. 

In  1797  the  congregation  con 
sisted  of  '  twelve  poor  Catholics.' 
Fr.  John  Laurenson,  of  Stonyhurst, 
hired  a  small  outbuilding,  and  said 
Mass  there  for  the  first  time  in 
November  1797.  The  congrega 
tion  increased  and  a  larger  chapel 
was  erected.  Till  1842  the  mission 
was  served  from  Stonyhurst.  In 
1843  Fr.  J.  Holden  was  resident 
priest  at  Clitheroe.  On  Thursday 
the  octave  of  Corpus  Christi,  1850, 
the  new  church  was  opened  by 
Bishop  Brown,  V.A.  The  congre 
gation  at  this  time  numbered  800. 
The  church,  which  was  designed 
by  Hansom,  cost  £2,500.  Fr.  T. 
Seed,  of  Stonyhurst,  had  charge  of 
the  mission  at  this  time.  The  new 
Lady  Chapel  of  the  building  was 
opened  in  September  1884.  It 
contains  a  beautiful  alabaster  statue 
of  Our  Lady  and  three  paintings  by 
Mr.  Joseph  Bonvier. 


CLOWN,  near  CHESTERFIELD, 
DERBYSHIRE  (Nottingham). 

The  mission  was  commenced 
1903,  when  a  chapel  was  esta 
blished  at  Southgate  House  under 
the  title  of  the  Sacred  Heart  and 
Our  Lady  of  Victories.  The  chapel 
is  now  (1905)  in  Mill  Street. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Charles  Froes. 

„    Alfred  L.  Barry,  1905. 


COBRIDGE,  STAFFS  (Birming 
ham}. 

In  the  eighteenth  century,  the  Bid- 
dulphs  and  Macclesfields  were  the 
chief  Catholic  families  in  north 
west  Staffordshire.  Mass  was  some- 
iines  said  at  Chesterton  Hall,  the 
residence  of  theMacclesfield  family, 
prior  to  1752.  Fr.  Flynn  was  the 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


187 


first  resident  priest  (1752).  In  1780 
or  1781  the  Rev.  John  Corne  built  a 
chapel  and  presbytery.  Messrs. 
Bucknell  and  Black  well,  two 
wealthy  Catholic  potters,  in  con 
junction  with  another  Catholic, 
Mr.  Dadford,  architect  and  agent 
to  the  Grand  Trunk  Canal  Com 
pany,  contributed  largely  to  the 
cost  of  building.  Fr.  Prender- 
gast  and  Fr.  Lewis  Gerard  sub 
sequently  enlarged  the  building 
by  galleries  and  wings  (1817-18). 
They  likewise  erected  schools  for 
250  children.  In  1832  the  Catholic 
population  =  300.  Fr.  Leith  re 
stored  the  chapel  about  1853.  In 
1858  he  became  M.R. 

Priests  from  1780. 
Rev.  J.  Corne,  1780. 

„    F.  Hartley,  1784. 

„    R.  Prendergast,  1794. 

„    Abbe  Louis  Giraud  or  Gerard, 
1813. 

„    Roger  J.  0.  Higgin,   O.S.F., 
1842. 

„    Jos.  Abbot,  1845. 

„    Thos.  Matthias,  1851. 

„    Phil.  Hendren.  1873. 

„    Alf.  Mulligan,  1903. 


COCKEKMOUTH,  CUMBERLAND 
(Hcxliam  and  Newcastle).  St. 
Joseph. 

Land  for  a  church  was  purchased 
in  1847,  but  as  late  as  1853  the 
Catholics  of  the  place  were  com 
pelled  '  to  assemble  for  Divine 
worship  in  a  hayloft  open  to  the 
tiles  and  immediately  over  public 
stables.'  At  first,  the  mission  was 
served  from  Wigton  once  a  month, 
but  by  1850  Fr.  Joseph  Watson  had 
come  as  resident  priest.  The  church 
was  commenced  early  in  1856,  and 
opened  November  2G  the  same  year. 
Schools  were  erected  and  the 
church  enlarged  during  the  incum 
bency  of  Fr.  Smits.  The  Mission 


passed  over  to  the  Benedictines  in 
1902.  The  Jubilee  of  the  church 
was  celebrated,  September  15  and 
16,  1906. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Joseph  Canon  Humble,  1848. 
,,    Joseph  Watson,  1849. 
„    Robt.  Orrell,  1854. 
„    R.  Canon  Smith,  1857. 
,    Wm.  Farmery,  1858. 
,    —  Hanigan,  1861. 
,    Pat.  Bourke,  1863. 
,    Edw.  O'Dwyer,  1867. 
,    —  O'Connor,  1869. 
,    —  M'Cartney,  1870. 
,    James  Corboy,  1870. 
,    James  Smits,  1871. 
„    Thos.  Clavering,  1885. 
„    James    Smits    (second  time), 

1897. 

„    Robt.  Fishwick,  O.S.B.,  1902 
to  date. 


COEDANGRED,  MONMOUTH 

SHIRE  (Newport). 

The  Church  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception  was  built  in  1847,  when 
Fr.  Thos.  Abbot  was  priest.  The 
mission  was  started  in  1845  by  Fr. 
Burgess,  of  Monmouth,  '  for  the 
sake  of  the  remnants  of  three  former 
congregations  in  this  part  of  Mon 
mouthshire.'  The  first  'mission' 
ever  given  in  the  church  concluded 
on  September  12,  1880,  when  Fr. 
Seraphim,  O.S.F.C.,  of  Chester,  had 
the  happiness  of  bringing  back 
'many  stray  Catholics'  to  their 
religious  duties. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Burgess,  1845. 

Thos.  Abbot,  3847. 

Austin  Neary,  1852. 

J.  Arquis,  1854. 

Edw.    Glassbrooke,    here    in 
1871. 

F.  Marianas,  1877. 

John  Higgins,  1882. 

P,  Capron,  1885, 


138 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Rev.  Clement  Matthews,  1888. 
„    F.  Tierney,  1891. 
„    P.  Cardinael,  1893. 
„    Isidore  Heneka,  1899. 
„    J.  Murphy,  1902  to  date. 


COLCHESTER,  ESSEX  (Westmin 
ster).     St.  James. 

Sir  George  Mannock,  Jesuit  and 
last  baronet,  lived  at  Bromley  Hall, 
near  Colchester,  from  about  1775  to 
1782.  He  used  to  say  Mass  in  a 
private  chapel  and  attend  to  the 
few  Catholics  in  the  district.  The 
present  mission  was  established  in 
1837,  when  the  church  in  Priory 
Street  was  opened,  on  November  3 
of  that  year.  Before  this  time  the 
nearest  chapel  was  at  Thorndon 
Hall,  Lord  Petre's  residence.  About 
1867  a  separate  camp-chapel  for  the 
Catholic  soldiers  at  Colchester  was 
opened  by  Fr.  J.  Vertue,  afterwards 
first  Bishop  of  Portsmouth.  Car 
dinal  Manning  confirmed  sixty-eight 
persons  in  the  church  September 
1886,  and  administered  the  pledge 
to  many  civilians  and  soldiers. 

Priests. 
Eev.  C.  King,  1837. 

J.  Kaye,  1845. 

Julius  Picquot,  D.D.,  1848. 

E.  Canon  Shepherd,  1857. 

C.  Woolett,  1867. 

E.  Meyer,  1885. 

C.  P.  Collingridge,  1889. 

Cornelius  Biale,  1892. 

Mgr.   Vincent   Coletti,   D.I)., 
1896. 

Angelo  Lucas,  1899. 

Jn.  Bloomfield,  1903  to  date. 


COLDHAM,  SUFFOLK  (Northamp 
ton}.  Our  Lady  and  St.  Joseph. 

Coldham  Hall  was  the  ancestral 
seat  of  the  Eookwood  and  Gage 
families,  Edward  Gage,  Esq.,  third 


son  of  Sir  John  Gage,  of  Firle,  was 
created   a  baronet  by  Charles  II. 
1662.       The  last   of    this   ancient 
Catholic  stock  was  Sir  John  Gage, 
Major,  Scots  Guards,  who  died  in 
1879.      The   mission   of    Coldham 
was    early   served    by  the    Jesuit 
Fathers.     The   martyr,   Fr.    Thos. 
Garnett,    nephew    of    Fr.    Henry 
Garnett,  was  seized  near  Coldham 
in  1608.     Fr.  James  Dennett,  pro 
vincial  of  the  Society  in  England, 
was  missioner  at  Coldham  for  many 
years,    and  travelling   tutor  to  Sir 
Thos.  Eookwood  Gage,  fifth  baronet. 
The  last  Jesuit  chaplain  at  Coldham 
was  Fr.  Edward  Baptist    Newton, 
who  died  here  1787.     After  this  the 
place    was   served   from   Bury    St. 
Edmunds,    but    the     congregation 
rapidly  declined,  so  that  what  had 
once  been  a  body  of   eighty  com 
municants   had  by   1834  fallen  to 
thirteen.      The   old    mission    was, 
however,  served,  like  that  of  Hen- 
grave,  the   other  residence  of  the 
Gages,  at  the   Eight   Indulgences. 
The  above-mentioned  Fr.  Newton 
in   his  correspondence  gives  a  sad 
picture  of  the  state  of   Catholicity 
in  the  neighbourhood  at  the  close 
of  the   eighteenth   century.      This 
zealous  missioner  had  often  to  tra 
verse  a  district  of  some  fifty  miles, 
visiting    Sudbury,    Chilton,    Clare, 
Melford,   '  where  nothing  is  to  be 
met  with  but  ignorance,  stupidity, 
and  sometimes    a  total   neglect  of 
religion.'    In  one  place  the  Catholics 
had  fallen  from  100  to  four !     The 
mission  was  apparently  closed  from 
1856  to  1860,  when  it  again  figures 
in   the  '  Catholic  Directory.'     The 
church  was  opened  in  1870. 
Priests  of  the  Mission  since  1800. 
Eev.  L.  Simon  (served  from  Bury, 

1836-40). 

„    James  O'Neill,  1840. 
„    Bernard  Shanley,  1843, 
„    P,  Gates,  1844-55, 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


139 


Kev.  Wm.  Poole,  1860. 

„    Christopher  Scott,  1863. 
„    Patrick  Canon  Eogers,  1867. 
„    George  Miles,  1885. 
„    Augustine  Wilkinson,  1890  to 
date. 


COLESHILL,        WARWICKSHIRE 

(Birmingham).     The  Sacred  Heart 
and  St.  John. 

Mission  established  February 
1880.  Fr.  C.  Wheatley,  the  first 
priest,  said  Mass  '  in  a  rented  room 
over  a  stable.'  The  congregation 
at  that  time  was  '  small  and  very 
poor.'  In  addition  to  these,  Fr. 
Wheatley  had  also  charge  of  the 
Catholic  children  in  the  Marston 
Green  Homes. 

Priests. 
Eev.  C.  Wheatley,  1880. 

„    James  Giblin,  1885. 

„    C.  Gottwaltz,  1888. 

„    Geo.  Hudson,  1899  to  date. 


COLNE  LANCS  (Salford). 

The  Rev.  Dean  Jones,  who  came 
to  reside  at  Colne  in  1872,  was  the 
first  priest  in  the  district  since  the 
Reformation.  The  neighbourhood 
was  once  a  stronghold  of  Catholicity, 
as  the  numerous  ruins  of  churches 
&c.  show.  A  new  school  and  chapel 
were  commenced  in  December 
1887,  and  opened  July  15,  1888. 
The  number  of  Catholic  children 
then  attending  the  school  was  about 
sixty.  The  adult  population  was 
over  400.  Before  the  opening  of 
the  school  chapel,  the  place  of  wor 
ship  was  a  shed  over  a  chemist's 
shop. 


Priests. 
Rev.  Jones,  1872. 

„    Pierce  Griffith,  1873. 

„    D.  Reynders,  1879. 

„    Henry  Mom,  1885. 

„    A.  Van  der  Beek,  1904  to  date. 


COLSTON  BASSETT,  NOTTS  (Not 
tingham). 

The  'beautiful  little  Gothic 
structure,'  as  the  chapel  was  de 
scribed,  was  opened  in  October 
1840.  Francis  Martin,  Esq.,  of 
Colston  Hall,  gave  the  site. 

Priests. 

Rev.  J.  Bick,  1840.  Served  from 
EastwelllSeOe^seg-.  At  pre 
sent  served  from  Carlton. 


COLWICH,     STAFFS      (Birming 
ham).     St.  Benedict's  Priory. 

In  1652  a  filiation  of  the  Bene 
dictine  Nuns  of  Cambray  opened  a 
convent  in  Paris  for  the  purpose  of 
devoting  themselves    to   the    per 
petual   adoration    of    the    Blessed 
Sacrament.      At    the   general   up 
heaval  consequent  on  the  Revolu 
tion,  the  community  came  to  Eng 
land,  and  were  settled  at  Marnhull, 
Dorset,  under  the  protection  of  the 
Hussey    family    (1795).      In    1807 
they  removed  to  Caiinington,  near 
Bridgewater,  where  Lord  and  Lady 
Clifford  afforded  them  '  a  very  com 
fortable  and  conventual  asylum  at 
Cannington     Court    House.'       On 
leaving  this  retreat  in  1835  for  Col- 
wich,   their    'large    and    beautiful 
chapel,'  opened  July  7,   1831,   be 
came  the  church  of  the  Cannington 
Mission  (q.v.).     The  convent  at  Col- 
wich   is    a   strictly   enclosed   com 
munity,      and      receives      neither 
boarders  or  pupils.     The  church  is 
open  to  the  public, 


140 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


COMMERCIAL  KOAD,  LONDON,  E. 

(Westminster}.       SS.     Mary     and 
Michael. 

The  history  of  the  old  Virginia 
Street  mission — the  forerunner  of 
the  church  in  Commercial  Eoad — 
is  buried  in  obscurity.  In  1768 
Fr.  James  Webb,  the  priest  of  the 
chapel,  was  tried  before  the  Court 
of  King's  Bench  at  Westminster 
for  saying  Mass.  The  infamous 
Payne  was  the  informer  on  this 
occasion,  but  Lord  Chief  Justice 
Mansfield  at  the  trial  laid  down 
the  important  rule  that  before  a 
priest  could  be  convicted  it  was 
necessary  to  prove,  first,  that  he  was 
really  a  priest,  and,  secondly,  that  he 
had  actually  said  Mass.  The  jury 
acquitted  the  accused.  In  January 
1770,  the  Hon.  and  Et.  Eev.  Bishop 
Talbot,  brother  of  the  Earl  of 
Shrewsbury,  was  committed  for 
trial  for  having  exercised  his  priestly 
functions  at  Virginia  Street.  He 
was  tried  at  the  Old  Bailey  (Feb 
ruary),  but  acquitted  on  the  same 
grounds  as  Fr.  Webb.  He  was  the 
last  Catholic  clergyman  to  be  in 
dicted  for  saying  Mass.  In  1773 
he  took  a  lease  of  the  chapel  in 
Virginia  Street  for  eighty-four  years. 
The  property  was  acquired  from 
the  London  Dock  Company,  the 
bishop  being  mentioned  in  the 
document  as  plain  Mr.  James  Tal 
bot.  The  old  chapel  or  Mass 
House  was  one  of  those  destroyed 
by  Lord  George  Gordon's  mob  in 
1780.  The  priest  of  the  mission, 
Fr.  M.  Coen,  might  have  defended 
the  place  with  upwards  of  3,000 
Irish  labourers,  but  he  yielded  to 
the  wishes  of  the  magistrates,  who 
dreaded  the  results  of  so  terrible  a 
conflict.1  The  priest,  however,  re- 

1  One  of  the  rioters  who  helped  to 
burn  the  chapel,  and  who  was  fearfully 
mangled  by  the  bullets  and  bayonets  of 
the  troops  in  the  repression  of  the  riots 


ceived  compensation  from  the 
Government,  and  a  chapel,  '  totally 
devoid  of  ornament,'  was  subse 
quently  erected  at  a  cost  of  £'1,500. 
By  1820  the  Catholic  population  of 
Commercial  Eoad  had  increased  to 
!  20,000.  About  1815  a  collection 
for  a  new  church  was  set  on  foot 
by  Fr.  Horrabin,  and  after  many 
years  a  site  in  Commercial  Eoad 
was  purchased  in  1842  at  a  cost 
of  £'3,000.  Fr.  Horrabin  died  in 
1846,  and  in  1851  the  foundation 
of  the  new  church  for  which  ho 
had  so  ardently  longed  was  laid. 
The  new  building  was  opened  by 
Cardinal  Wiseman  on  December  8, 
1856,  in  the  presence  of  the  Bishops 
of  Northampton,  Nottingham,  and 
Troy.  The  church  is  Gothic  of  the 
Decorated  period.  The  total  length 
is  185  ft.,  breadth  75  ft.,  and  in 
appearance  the  inside  of  the  church 
much  resembles  St.  George's  Cathe 
dral.  The  total  cost  was  about 
£30,000.  The  Catholic  schools  were 
founded  in  1778  by  a  few  Irishmen 
resident  in  Wapping.  In  1810  a 
similar  establishment  for  girls  was 
opened  by  Fr.  J.  Delaney.  The 
Christian  Brothers  taught  the  boys 
in  1838,  and  in  December  1849  the 
new  Catholic  schools  were  opened 
by  Bishop  Wiseman,  assisted  by 
Bishop  Morris  and  the  Hon.  Charles 
Langdale.  The  total  number  of 
children  receiving  education  there 
in  1858  was  about  2,000. 

Priests  since  1856. 
Eev.  W.  Kelly. 

,,    Pat.  Canon  0'Callaghan,M.E., 
1877. 

,,    Geo.  Canon  Akers,  1897. 

„    Peter  E.  Amigo,  1899,  Bishop 
of  Southwark,  1904. 

„    Andrew  Dooley.  Dean,  ME., 
1902. 

on  June  6,  1780,  was  long  supported  by 
the  congregation  of  Commercial  Road 
after  the  chapel  had  been  rebuilt. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


141 


Rev.  Timothy  Bing  Dean,  1905  to 
date. 


CONGLETON,  CHESm-RE  (Shrews 
bury).     St.  Mary. 

On  December  21,  1821,  Mass 
\vas  said  here  in  a  cottage  in 
Moody  Street  by  Fr.  J.  Hall,  of 
Macclesfield.  The  club  room  of 
the  Angel  Hotel  was  afterwards 
hired  on  Sundays,  and  this  served 
as  a  place  of  worship  till  the  open 
ing  of  a  chapel  in  1826.  The 
underneath  portions  of  the  building 
were  used  as  schools. 
Priests. 

Rev.  J.  Hall,  1821. 
„    C.  Brigham,  1831. 
„    J.  Pratt,  1834. 
„    J.  Fisher,  1840. 
J.  Hill,  1850. 
J.  Anderton,  1853. 
H.  Lynch,  1855. 
J.  Daly,  1861. 
G.  Clegg,  1863. 
F.  O'Neil,  1872. 

F.  Waterhouse,  1873. 
P.  Power,  1880. 

G.  Carton,  1884. 
P.  Coleman,  1887. 
C.  Hooghe,  1888. 
J.  Haskett,  1889. 
W.  Kelly,  1891. 
H.  Donlevy,  1894. 

Wm.  Reade,  1903  to  date. 


CONISTON,  IANCS  (Liverpool). 
The  Sacred  Heart. 

The  want  of  a  chapel  in  this  dis 
trict  was  advertised  in  the  Tablet 
for  September  17,  1859.  The  ex- 
Queen  of  the  French  (Amelie),  who 
spent  the  autumn  of  that  year  at 
Coniston,  threw  open  her  domestic 
chapel  to  the  neighbouring  Catho 


lics,  and  before  her  departure  is 
reported  to  have  forwarded  a  sub 
stantial  sum  to  the  Bishop  of  Liver 
pool  towards  the  erection  of  a 
church.  This  was  opened  by 
Bishop  Goss  on  September  29, 
1872,  the  Sunday  preceding  his 
death. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Pat.  M'Aroy,  1867. 

„    Hy.  Gibson,  1874. 

„    Peter  Lavertv,  1889  to  date. 


CORBY,  near  GRANTHAM,  LINCS 
(Nottingham).  Our  Lady  of  Mount 
Carmel. 

Irnham  Hall,  the  seat  of  the 
Thimelby  family,  is  considered  by 
some  to  have  preserved  the  Faith  in 
these  parts  from  Catholic  times. 
Fr.  Richard  Thimelby,  S.J.,  one  of 
those  accused  by  Oates  as  privy  to 
the  concocted  '  Plot,'  was  a  member 
of  this  family.  The  last  of  the 
race  was  John  Thimelby,  Esq., 
who  died  1720,  at.  86.  His  pro 
perty  passed  to  the  Lords  Clifford, 
with  whose  descendants  it  still  re 
mains.  The  chapel  was  served  by 
the  Jesuits  down  to  1845,  when  the 
mission  was  handed  over  to  the 
Vicar  Apostolic.  The  same  year, 
the  old  chapel  at  Irnham  was  de 
molished  and  the  stones  used  for 
building  a  small  church  at  Corby. 
A  handsome  school  -  house  was 
opened  September  1881  on  a  site 
given  by  Henry  Clifford,  Esq. 

Secular  Priests  since  1845. 
Rev.  Canon  Gascoyne,  1845. 

,,    Joseph  Canon  Baron,  1880. 

„    John  Brown,  1901. 

.,    A.  Howarth,  1(J05  to  date. 


CORNFORTH,  WEST.     See  WEST 
CORNFORTH. 


142 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


COSSEY,  or  COSTESSEY,  HALL, 
NORFOLK  (Northampton).  St. 
Wulstane. 

Cossey  Hall,  the  ancient  seat 
of  the  Jerningham  family,  remained 
a  centre  of  Catholic  faith  and  en 
durance  throughout  the  penal  times. 
About  1805  the  number  of  Catholics 
in  the  district  is  said  to  have  only 
amounted  to  about  thirty.  In  1832 
it  had  risen  to  400.  Two  years  later, 
the  fine  church  was  commenced  by 
George  Jerningham,  Baron  Stafford. 
The  architect  was  Mr.  Buckler, 
of  Oxford.  The  height  is  40  ft.; 
length,  100  ft. ;  width,  25  ft.  A  con 
siderable  portion  of  the  building 
fund  was  collected  by  Mgr.  Husen- 
beth,  chaplain  to  the  family,  and 
famous  as  the  biographer  of  Bishop 
Milner.  Some  of  the  windows  con 
tain  specimens  of  mediaeval  glass 
rescued  from  various  French 
churches  at  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tion.  At  the  opening,  May  26, 1841, 
an  ancient  pre- Reformation  Missal 
was  used  by  Mgr.  Husenbeth,  who 
sang  the  Mass.  This  great  scholar 
is  the  well-known  author  of  the 
'  Life  of  Bishop  Milner,'  and  was 
chaplain  at  Cossey  till  his  death, 
October  31, 1872.  '  The  Royal  Hotel 
Guide  to  Norwich,'  1898,  thus 
speaks  of  Cossey  : — '  The  Roman 
Catholic  body  is  very  strong  in 
Cossey,  and  probably  Mgr.  Davies, 
the  present  occupant  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  presbytery  here,  has  one 
of  the  largest  flocks  professing  Papal 
tenets  of  any  village  in  England.' 

Priests. 

Rev.  Geo.  Chamberlayne,  1784. 
This  gentleman,  an  M.A.  of 
King's  College,  Cambridge, 
was  received  into  the  Church 
at  the  Sardinian  Chapel, 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  1780. 
Dr.  Johnson,  on  hearing  of 
the  sacrifice  involved  by  this 
step,  exclaimed,  with  refer 


ence  to  Mr.  Chamberlayne, 
'  God  bless  him  1 '  (Boswell). 
Mr.  Chamberlayne  was  or 
dained  priest  at  Douai  1783, 
and  served  the  Cossey  Mis 
sion  from  1784  till  1798.  He 
died  February  4,  1815,  aged 
seventy-seven. 
Rev.  Samuel  Jones. 

„    Mgr.  Husenbeth,  1820,  till  his 
death,  October  31,  1872. 

„    Mgr.    Geo.   Davies,    1872    to 
date. 


COTTAM,  near  PRESTON,  LANCS 

(Liverpool). 

This  mission  was  for  generations 
served  by  the  domestic  chapel  of 
the  Haydock  family.  Fifteen  years 
before  the  death  of  the  last  Squire 
Haydock  Fr.  John  Keiidal  rented  a 
barn  and  four  acres  at  Cottam  from 
Wil.  Bilsborrow,  yeoman,  and  fitted 
up  a  chapel  and  presbytery.  In 
1745,  after  the  retreat  of  Prince 
Charles  Edward  and  the  High 
landers  from  Derby,  the  chapel  was 
burnt  by  a  '  No  Popery  '  mob  from 
Preston.  The  priest  at  Cottam  at 
this  time  was  Fr.  John  Harrison, 
who  took  the  mission  oath  at  Douai 
November  3, 1734.  After  the  burn 
ing  of  the  chapel,  Fr.  Harrison  went 
to  Townely,  where  he  served  as 
priest  till  about  1775.  He  died 
January  16,  1780,  at  the  house  of 
his  brother  Lawrence,  in  the  Friar- 
gate,  Preston.  The  successor  of 
Fr.  Harrison  at  Cottam  was  Fr.  J. 
Cowban,  who  afterwards  went  to 
Crathorne,  where  he  died  October  6, 
1777.  Fr,  Smith  was  priest  at 
Cottam  in  1763,  and  either  he  or 
Fr.  Cowban  restored  the  chapel. 
During  the  great  election  riot  at 
Preston  in  1768,  the  chapel  was 
again  in  danger.  In  1769  Fr.  J. 
Lund  was  priest.  He  built  the 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


143 


present  chapel  in  1793,  and  was 
rector  till  his  death  in  1812.  Fr. 
Thos.  Berry,  who  was  priest  till 
1845,  built  the  presbytery.  Fr. 
Dixon  was  the  next  priest  till  1852. 
Fr.  Geo.Corless,  D.D.,  his  successor, 
laid  out  the  cemetery  and  enlarged 
the  sacristy.  He  died  November  1, 
1865.  The  next  priests  were  : — 
The  Kevs.  Roger  Taylor  (resigned 
1867),  H.  J.  Throwner  (1868),  F. 
Gillow.  At  present  (1904)  the  in 
cumbent  of  the  mission  is  Fr.  Joseph 
Barker. 


COUGHTON,        WARWICKSHIRE 

(Birmingham).      SS.   Peter,    Paul, 
and  Elizabeth. 

Coughton  Castle  is  one  of  the  his 
toric  residences  of  the  Throckmor- 
tons.  It  has  several  priests'  hiding- 
places,  aud  in  one  of  these,  in  an 
'  angle  turret,'  an  altar- stone  was 
discovered  some  years  back.  Fr. 
Garnett,  S.J.,  who  suffered  for  the 
Gunpowder  Plot,  1606,  was  here  in 
November  1604,  and  it  was  after 
wards  alleged  that  an  exhortation 
he  used  '  to  be  rid  of  heresy  '  was 
in  connection  with  the  impending 
conspiracy.  The  words,  however, 
were  those  of  a  prayer  in  use  for 
centuries.  Fr.  Pope  was  chaplain 
here  in  1824,  and  Fr.  Davis,  O.S.B., 
from  1835  to  1889!  The  present 
Gothic  church  superseded  the  old 
chapel,  1857. 


COURTFIELD,  near  ROSS,  HERE 
FORDSHIRE  (Newport}. 

The  ancestral  seat  of  the  Vaughan 
family,  whose  domestic  chapel  has 
for  generations  served  the  Catholics 
of  the  district.  Fr.Thomas  Vaughan, 
who  died  of  ill-usage  at  the  hands 
of  the  persecutors  during  the  per 


secution  in  1646,  was  a  member  of 
this  family,  In  1688  the  mansion 
was  invaded  by  an  anti-Catholic 
Whig  mob  and  much  damage  done. 
In  more  recent  times  the  chapel 
became  a  centre  from  which  many 
of  the  surrounding  missions  were 
either  started  or  supplied.  Thus 
in  1836,  when  Fr.  J.  Reeve  was 
chaplain,  the  chapel  of  Hatherop 
was  dependent  on  Courtfield  for  a 
monthly  Mass.  The  chaplain  at 
Courtfield  in  1825  was  Fr.  J.  Knight. 
In  1881  the  chapel  was  redecorated 
and  reopened  by  Bishop  Hedley, 
of  Newport.  Archbishop  Kenelm 
Vaughan,  who  died  at  Ince  Blundell 
in  1883,  was  interred  at  Courtfield 
pending  the  removal  of  his  remains 
to  his  metropolitan  cathedral  of 
Sydney. 


COVENTRY,         WARWICKSHIRE 

(Birmingham).      St.   Osburg,    Hill 
Street. 

When  the  mission  was  started, 
1757-60,  there  were  only  four 
Catholics  in  the  city — Mrs.  Bruck- 
field,  Ann  Short,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lane.  The  nearest  chapel  was  at 
Wappenbury.  About  1757,  Fr. 
Hy.  Bishop  used  to  come  once  a 
month  '  to  say  prayers '  (?  Mass)  at 
Mrs.  Bruckfield's,near  St.  Michael's 
Churchyard.  In  1764  Fr.  Diconson, 
O.S.F.,  came  to  reside  permanently 
at  Mr.  Bruckfield's  house,  that 
gentleman  having  been  con  verted  to 
the  faith  with  a  Mr.  Whittingham. 
In  1775  a  permanent  chapel  was 
established  in  Miss  Latham's  house 
in  Little  Park  Street.  This  chapel 
was  finally  shut  up  '  on  account  of 
the  faithful  not  subscribing  in  a 
proper  manner.'  A  chapel  was 
then  opened  in  Mitford  (Smithford) 
Street,  1795  ;  but,  owing  to  some 
difference  among  the  congregation, 


144 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


all  did  not  attend,  till,  'by  order  of 
the  Bishop,'  the  Smithford  Street 
chapel  was  declared  that  of  the 
mission,  when  the  irritation  ceased, 
January  31,  1796.1  The  labours  of 
the  missioners  were  well  rewarded. 
In  spite  of  the  penal  laws  the  num 
ber  of  Catholics  increased  from  the 
four  of  1757  to  nearly  one  hundred  in 
1770.  The  chapelin  Smithford  Street 
was  transferred  to  Hill  Street  1807. 
An  '  unliquidated  debt '  was  still  on 
the  building  in  1825.  Bishop  Ulla- 
thorne,  who  resided  here  from  1841, 
was,  on  his  consecration  in  184G, 
presented  by  the  congregation  with 
a  splendid  set  of  silver  Mass  cruets 
of  ancient  design.  The  present 
church  was  commenced  1843,  on 
the  highest  part  of  the  city.  The 
Gothic  building  (115  ft.  by  50  ft.) 
designed  by  C.  Hansom,  was  opened 
September  10,  1845,  by  Bishop 
Wiseman,  assisted  by  Bishops 
Sharpies,  Briggs,  Griffiths,  Morris, 
and  Brady  (West  Australia).  A  set 
of  fine  stained-glass  windows  was 
presented  by  the  Blount  family. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Henry  Bishop,  1757  or  1758. 

,,  M.  Diconson,  or  Dickinson, 
O.S.F.,  1764. 

„    Alexius  Whalley,  O.S.F.,  1766. 

„    Geo.  Baynham,  O.S.F.,  1769. 

„    Bernardino  Fleet,  O.S.F.,  1776. 

„  John  Bonaventure  Pilling, 
O.S.F.,  1779. 

„    Anselm  Millward,O.S.F.,  1794. 

„  —  Angler,  O.P.,  May  22, 1795, 
to  August  27,  1795. 

„  Peter  Bernardine  Collingridge, 
1795  ;  Bishop  of  Tliespice, 
1807  ;  died  1829. 

„  James  Vincent  Sharp,  O.P., 
1795. 

1  The  other  chapel  at  this  time,  1795, 
was  at  Mr.  Whittingham's.  The  origin 
of  the  dispute  is  not  clear,  but  it  pro 
bably  arose  from  the  payment  difficulty 
referred  to  above. 


Rev.  Richard     Anthony     Sunmei', 
1801.     (The  Abbe  Messinge 
'  supplied  '  till  his  arrival.) 
-  Dawber,  — . 

C.  Ferand,  here  in  1824. 

—  Bretherton,  1826. 

Richard  Marsh,  1828. 

Thos.  Cockshoot,  1831. 

R.  Pope,  1840. 

W.  B.  Ullathorne,  1841  ; 
Bishop  of  Hetalona  and 
V.A.C.D.,  1846;  of  Birm 
ingham,  1850 ;  died  1889. 

J.  A.  Clarkson,  1846. 

Thos.  Hepton  stall,  1852. 

Ralph  Pratt,  1854. 

Cuthbert  Smith,  here  in  1871. 

Henry  Moore,  here  in  1875 
(Abbot  1890)  till  1892. 

Antonio  Ambrose  Pereira, 
1892. 

John  Clement  Fowler,  1896 
to  date. 


COWES,  ISLE  OF  WIGHT  (Ports 
mouth).  St.  Thomas  of  Canter 
bury. 

About  1795,  Mrs.  Heneage,  a 
wealthy  Catholic  lady,  proposed 
the  erection  of  the  chapel,  the 
plans  of  which  were  drawn  by  Fr. 
Thos.  Gabb,  a  skilful  amateur 
architect.  The  building  was 
opened  in  1796  at  a  cost  of  £3,000. 
more  than  half  of  which  might 
have  been  saved  had  the  chaplain's 
advice  been  attended  to  !  Fr.  Gabb, 
nevertheless,  was  most  unjustly 
blamed  for  the  waste  of  money  and 
dismissed.  He  died  on  the  mission 
at  Worksop  Manor,  April  17,  1817, 
aged  75.  A  Catholic  circulating 
library  in  connection  with  the 
Cowes  mission  was  formed  1850-51. 

Priests  from  1825, 
Rev.  W.  Pierrepont,  — . 

„    Jos.  Rathbone,  1832. 

„    W.  Fryer,  1842. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


145 


Kev.  C,  D'Arcy,  1849. 
,,    J.  Canon  Bower,  1853. 
„    R.  Davis,  1885  (?)  to  date. 


COWPEN,       NORTHUMBERLAND 

(Hexliam     and     Newcastle}.      St. 
Cuthbert. 

About  1771  Mr.  Maiiow  Sidney 
became  a  Catholic  while  a  student 
at  Cambridge.  The  immediate 
cause  of  his  conversion  was  the 
strong  Gospel  argument  for  the 
Real  Presence  as  compared  with 
protestant  denial.1  In  1804  he 
succeeded  to  the  family  estate  at 
Cowpen,  where  he  opened  a  chapel 
and  encouraged  Catholicity  in  every 
way.  The  present  chapel  was 
erected  by  his  son,  Marlow  John 
Sidney,  Esq.,  1842.  Schools  were 
opened  1844.  A  gallery  was  added, 
1860,  thus  increasing  the  accommo 
dation  by  sixty  sittings.  The 
mission  is  served  by  Benedictines. 
New  schools  were  opened  November 
1898. 

Priests. 
Rev.  J.  B.  Thomas,  1840. 

W.  Burchall,  1846. 

J.  B.  Caldwell,  1852. 

J.  Burchall,  1854. 

Percy  Anderson,  1867. 

Jos.  Murphy,  1873. 

Ralph  Pearson,  1879. 

Wm.  Farrant,  1885. 

Jn.  Oswald  Burchall,  1892. 

Joseph  Kershaw,  to  date. 


CRAWCROOK,     DURHAM     (Hex- 
liam  and  Newcastle}.     St.  Agnes. 
A   mission   established   in    1892 

1  An  interesting  account  of  his  con 
version  was  written  by  his  grand 
daughter  and  published  under  the  title 
of  A  Hundred  Years  Ago.  (Burns 
and  Gates,  1«77.) 


for     the     benefit     of     the     many 
Catholics  of  this  mining  centre. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Philip  Fitzgerald,  1892. 

„    Edw.  Beech,  1893. 

,,    Francis  Holmes,  to  date. 


CRAWLEY,  SUSSEX  (South 
ward).  St.  Francis. 

About  1858  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Mont 
gomery  went  to  live  near  Crawley. 
At  that  time  it  is  said  there  was 
not  a  Catholic  in  the  place.  Mrs. 
Montgomery  turned  her  coach 
house  and  stable  into  a  chapel  and 
school-room  and  so  a  mission  was 
formed.  In  1861  there  were  about 
twenty-five  children  in  the  school 
and  an  adult  congregation  of  over 
thirty.  The  Capuchin  Fathers,  who 
had  charge  of  the  mission,  com 
menced  the  present  church  and 
monastery  in  1860,  on  a  site  pre 
sented  by  Captain  Francis  Blunt, 
60th  Rifles,  a  near  relation  of  Mrs. 
Montgomery's,  who  also  most  gener 
ously  gave  £2,000  towards  the 
erection  of  the  buildings.  The 
solemn  opening  took  place  on  the 
feast  of  St.  Seraphim,  October  12, 
1861.  Canon  Oakeley  preached  at 
the  Pontifical  High  Mass  (St.  Luke 
xix.  9).  Of  recent  years  a  philo 
sophical  society  for  the  discussion 
of  religio-scientific  subjects  was 
established  at  the  monastery  and 
the  meetings  attended  by  some  of 
the  first  scholars  and  thinkers  of 
the  day. 


CRAYFORD,  KENT  (South war Jf). 
St.  Mary  of  the  Grays. 

Many  Catholics  were  reported  to 
be  living  in  the  neighbourhood  in 
1841,  at  which  time  Mass  was  said 
once  a  month  by  Fr.  Nightingale 


146 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


in  the  house  of  Aug.  Applegarth, 
Esq.  In  May  1842,  the  chapel 
was  opened.  Fr.  Aug.  Applegarth, 
son  of  the  above-named  gentleman, 
was  the  first  resident  priest  (1843- 
1855).  Bishop  Griffiths  confirmed 
thirty  persons  here,  December  1, 
1844.  The  school  and  presbytery 
were  erected  in  Fr.  Donovan's  time 
(1856-60?). 

Recent  Priests. 
Eev.  Jos.  Alberry. 

„    Jn.  Boase,  1877. 

„    Win.  Hogan,  1887  to  date. 


CRESSWELL,  STAFFS  (Birming 
ham). 

A  chapel  was  maintained  at 
Draycott  Hall,  Cresswell,  by  the 
Lords  Langdale  during  a  great 
portion  of  the  penal  times.  On  the 
death  of  the  fifth  Lord  Langdale, 
in  111!,  the  property  went  to  his 
sister  and  finally  to  the  Stourtons. 
Shortly  after  the  death  of  Lord 
Langdale,  the  chapel  was  removed 
to  Cresswell.  A  larger  chapel  was 
built  in  1782.  Fr.  Edward  Coyney, 
who  was  at  Draycott  during  the 
early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
did  much  to  keep  Catholicity  alive 
in  those  parts.  He  used  to  visit 
his  scattered  flock  disguised  as  a 
pedlar.  Fr.  Alban  Butler  was 
priest  at  Cresswell  for  a  time  and 
here  he  completed  his  '  Lives  of 
the  Saints.'  In  1815  Fr.  T.  Bad- 
deley  built  '  a  handsome  Gothic 
chapel '  at  Cresswell  and  opened  a 
secondary  school.  He  died  in 
1823.  The  Draycott  and  Cresswell 
missions  may  be  called  the  cradle 
of  North  Staffordshire  Catholicity 
in  recent  times.  In  1834  the 
Catholics  at  Cresswell  numbered 
120. 


Priests  after  Fr.  Cresswell. 
Rev.  J.  Canon  Dunne  (he  was  rector 

till  1881),  1824. 

„    S.  E.  Canon  Bathurst,  1881. 
„    Thos.  Scott,  1883  to  date. 


CREWE,  CHESHIRE. 

In  1830  Crewe  contained  less 
than  250  inhabitants  and  indeed 
was  no  more,  topographically 
speaking,  than  '  a  village  in  Che 
shire.'  By  1846,  owing  to  the 
L.  &  N.  W.  Railway  having  estab 
lished  their  engine  and  rolling- 
stock  works  here,  the  village  had 
become  a  town  with  many  thou 
sands  of  inhabitants.  The  mission 
was  established  here  that  year  '  in 
an  inconvenient  building,'  which 
later  on  gave  place  to  a  com 
modious  school  chapel.  At  a 
meeting  of  the  congregation  in 
November  1888  proposals  were 
made  for  the  erection  of  a  church. 
After  some  delay  the  present 
building  was  commenced  in  1890 
and  opened  in  1891. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Jn.  Quealy,  1846. 

Martin  Brodrick,  1848. 

—  Foster,  1851. 

Rd.  Doyle,  1852. 

Hy.  Alcock,  1853. 

Roger  McCarte,  1857. 

Thos.  Canon  Marsden,  1871. 

Fredk  Waterhouse,  1882. 

Jn.  Barry,  1884. 

Michael   Canon    Craig,   1895 
to  date. 


CRICKLEWOOD,  LONDON,  N.W. 
(Westminster).  St.  Agnes. 

The  mission  was  established  in 
1901,  at  Westcroft  Villas,  Crickle- 
wood  Lane.  The  Catholic  popu 
lation  is  estimated  at  800.  New 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


147 


schools  have  been  commenced  and 
will  be  opened  shortly  ;  cost  about 
£'3,000. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Osmund  Cooke,  1901. 

„    Owen  G.  Fitzgerald,  1905  to 
date. 


CKOFT,        LANCS       (Liverpool). 
St.  Lewis. 

The  chapel  was  built  by  the 
Jesuits,  the  first  stone  being  laid 
by  the  Abbe  Louis  Le  Eichebec,  an 
emigre,  June  29,  1826.  The  build 
ing  was  opened  May  29,  1827. 
Before  the  establishment  of  the 
mission  at  Croft  the  chapel  appears 
to  have  been  at  Culchetch,  the 
ancient  seat  of  the  family  of  that 
name.  Several  of  its  members  en 
tered  the  Society  of  Jesus,  and  two, 
William  and  John  Culchetch,  cap 
tains  in  the  Royal  Army,  lost  their 
lives  for  Charles  I.  in  the  Civil 
War.  The  family  became  extinct 
on  the  death  of  Thos.  Culchetch, 
1747.  When  the  chapel  at  the 
Hall  was  closed,  a  Mass  house 
was  opened  in  the  district,  and  so 
continued  till  the  erection  of  the 
chapel  as  above.  The  Jesuits  gave 
up  the  mission  to  seculars  in  1855. 

Priests  (S.J.). 
Rev.  Jn.  Penkith,  1670. 

„    Edward  Scarisbrick,  1690. 

„    Richard  Smith,  1724. 

At  Croft. 
Rev.  Richard  Reeve,  1780. 

„    Abbe  Le  Richebec,  1798. 

„    James  Clough,  1845. 

„    Wm.  Waterton,  1848. 

„    Henry  Shea,  1849. 

„    Fredk.  Muller,  1851. 

Seculars. 
Rev.  Wm.  Gillett,  1855. 

„    Thos.  Gibson,  1857. 

„    Wm.  Wells,  1860. 

,,    James  Parkinson,  1875. 

„    Jn.  Dorran,  1882. 


Rev.  Francis  Blake,  1885. 
,,    Patrick  Monaghan,  1888. 
,,    Charles  Reynolds,  1899. 
,,    Francis  Blake,  to  date. 


CROMEK,  NORFOLK  (Northamp 
ton).  Our  Lady  of  Refuge,  Over- 
strand  Road. 

In  1893  Mass  was  said  at  the 
Assembly  Rooms  adjoining  the 
Red  Lion  Inn.  In  September  of 
that  year  the  site  was  acquired 
for  a  new  church.  Canon  Duckett 
had  charge  of  the  mission.  The 
neighbourhood  abounds  in  ruined 
churches  and  other  vestiges  of  by 
gone  Catholicity.  Fr.  T.  Carter  was 
appointed  to  the  mission  in  Octo 
ber  1902.  The  church  was  opened 
August  25,  1895 :  accommodation 
for  about  one  hundred. 


CROOK,    DURHAM.      Our    Lady 
Immaculate  and  St.  Cuthbert. 

For  historical  notice  of  Crook 
Hall,  see  Ushaw.  The  mission  of 
Crook  was  started  in  1853,  when 
the  present  Bishop  of  Hexham  and 
Newcastle,  then  Fr.  Thos.  Wilkin 
son,  took  a  house  in  the  town  and 
laboured  for  the  spiritual  good  of 
the  rapidly  increasing  mining  popu 
lation.  Fr.  J.  Rook  was  the  first 
resident  priest  of  the  place,  which 
also  had  the  benefit  of  the  zeal 
of  Fr.  Richard  Ward,  formerly  an 
Anglican  clergyman  and  superior 
of  St.  Saviour's,  Leeds.  The  church 
was  commenced  in  1853,  and  opened 
1854.  In  July  1860,  Fr.  Wilkinson 
took  up  his  abode  at  Crook,  and  in 
a  few  years  he  had  added  to  the 
church  a  presbytery,  school-house 
and  convent.  In  1865  he  was 
elected  a  canon  of  Hexham.  On 
July  25,  1888,  he  was  consecrated 
L  2 


148 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


bishop  at  Ushaw  College  by  Bishop 
Clifford  of  Clifton,  and  next  year 
(September  1889)  succeeded  Bishop 
O'Callaghan  in  the  see  of  Hexham 
and  Newcastle.  His  successor  at 
Crook  was  Fr.  Austin  Pippet,  who 
still  retains  the  mission. 


CROWLE,  LINCS  (Nottingham}. 
The  Blessed  Sacrament  and  St. 
Norbert. 

Mission  opened  August  10,  1863, 
by  Fr.  W.  Harris,  of  Gainsborough, 
who  said  Mass  on  Sundays  in  the 
Assembly  Booms.  The  congrega 
tion  is  described  as  being  '  large 
and  attentive  '  (Betford  and  Gains 
borough  News,  August  1863).  In 
1872  thePremonstratensian  Fathers 
took  over  the  mission,  and  the  new 
church  was  opened  October  15, 
the  same  year,  by  the  Abbot  of  St. 
Bernard's  Abbey,  Leicester.  The 
donor  of  the  church  and  presbytery 
was  T.  A.  Young,  Esq.,  K.S.G.  By 
1882  the  congregation  had  greatly 
increased,  no  fewer  than  fifty-five 
persons  being  confirmed  at  Crowle 
in  the  November  of  that  year. 


CROXDALE       HALL,       DURHAM 

(Hexham    and    Newcastle).       St. 
Herbert. 

The  mission  is  described  as 
founded  '  from  time  immemorial. 
The  register  dates  from  1801.  Thos. 
Salvin,  Esq.,  lord  of  the  manor, 
erected  the  chapel  (Gothic).  For 
many  years,  the  priest  at  Croxdale 
had  also  to  serve  the  mission  at 
Bishop  Auckland.  The  estimated 
number  of  Catholics  in  1834  was 
about  two  hundred. 


Priests. 

Eev.  Kendal,  1730. 
Hankin,  — . 
Waram,  — . 

Dunn,  — . 
Taylor,  — . 
Talbot, 
Storey,  1771. 
Thos.'  Smith,  1808. 
John  Smith,  1854. 
Robt.  Laing,  1897. 
Geo.     Fehrenbach,     1904    to 
date. 


CROYDON,  SURREY  (South- 
iv arty.  St.  Mary. 

Mass  was  said  occasionally  here 
during  the  eighteenth  century  by 
priests  from  the  several  ambassa 
dors'  chapels  in  London.  On 
August  23,  1767,  Fr.  John  Baptist 
Maloney  was  convicted  at  the  Surrey 
Summer  Assizes,  held  at  Croydon,  of 
saying  Mass  and  exercising  his 
priestly  functions.  He  was  con 
demned  to  perpetual  imprisonment, 
but  shortly  afterwards  banished. 
The  present  mission  dates  from  1837. 
Next  year,  Fr.  Patrick  0' Moore,  a 
Spanish  priest  of  Irish  descent, 
who  had  left  Spain  in  consequence 
of  the  Carlist  troubles,  opened  a 
chapel  first  at  Duppas  Hill  and 
afterwards  at  Broad  Green,  London 
Road  (1841).  As  he  could  not 
speak  English,  catechetical  instruc 
tion  was  given  by  Dr.  Lashmar,  a 
Catholic  physician  of  the  town. 
From  1850  to  1857  the  mission 
was  served  from  Norwood.  In  the 
latter  year,  Fr.  Alphonse,  after 
wards  Canon  David,  came  to  reside 
as  permanent  rector.  The  Catholic 
population,  estimated  at  about 
1,400  in  1861,  is  now  about  four 
times  that  number.  Lady  Vans- 
truser — afterwards  a  Dominican 
nun  at  Stone,  Staffordshire — de- 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


149 


frayed  the  cost  of  erection  of  the 
present  Gothic  church,  opened  by 
Bishop  Grant,  1864.  Adjoining 
the  church  and  presbytery  in  the 
Wellesley  Road  are  fine  schools, 
under  the  direction  of  the  Sisters 
of  Mercy.  The  Josephitc  establish 
ment,  St.  George's  College,  founded 
in  the  Wellesley  Eoad,  1869,  was 
removed  to  Woburn  Park,  Wey- 
bridge,  1884.  The  premises  are 
now  the  St.  Mary's  Industrial 
School  (Sisters  of  Mercy). 

Priests. 
Revs.  Abbe  Chabot,  1837. 

„    Patrick    O' Moore     or    More, 

1838. 

„    J.  Bradshaw,  1849. 
„    Michael  Vesque,  1850  (Bishop 
of  Roseau,     West    Indies, 
1857). 
,,    Alphonse  Canon  David,  1851 ; 

resident  1857. 

,,    John  McKenna,  M.R. ;  curate 
1874,  rector  1894  to  date. 


CROYDON,  SOUTH.  St.  Gertrude, 
Puiiey  Road. 

The  church,  a  plain  building  in 
the  Romanesque  style,  was  opened 
1903,  and  for  some  time  served 
from  St.  Mary's.  In  May  1904 
Fr.  C.  Turner,  the  present  rector, 
was  appointed  to  the  mission  from 
Ashford  (Kent). 


CUSTOM  HOUSE,  E.  (West 
minster).  Our  Lady  and  St. 
Edward. 

A  few  years  ago,  the  Custom 
House  district  was  a  marsh,  but 


now  it  contains  a  dense  population 
of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  work 
ing  people.  Until  the  opening  of 
the  church  in  December  1899  by 
Cardinal  Vaughan,  Catholics  had 
to  go  to  Mass  at  Silvertown  or  Strat 
ford,  while  '  hundreds  of  children 
were  swept  into  Board  Schools.' 
The  sacred  edifice,  as  well  as  the 
fine  Catholic  schools  for  some  500 
children,  are  almost  entirely  due  to 
the  energetic  rector,  Fr.  Timothy 
Ring.  The  church  is  Pointed 
Gothic  in  style,  designed  by  Mr. 
Curtiss,  who  also  presented  the 
handsome  high  altar.  Seats  for 
about  three  hundred. 


CWMBRAN,      MONMOUTHSHIRE 

(Newport).      Our     Lady     of     the 
Angels. 

When  the  Franciscans  under 
took  to  establish  the  mission  here 
in  1864  Catholics  of  the  place 
numbered  about  380,  '  sunk  into 
a  state  of  utter  indifference  to 
religion,  or  indeed  to  anything 
be}7ond  their  daily  or  nightly  toil.' 
The  first  chapel  was  the  club -room 
of  a  public-house,  the  altar  and 
furniture  being  of  the  poorest  de 
scription.  The  congregation  sub 
scribed  £30  from  their  hard-earned 
wages  and  with  about  £200  from 
other  sources  the  present  chapel 
was  built,  the  opening  taking  place 
January  1,  1867.  Prior,  afterwards 
Archbishop  Vaughan  of  Sydney, 
preached ;  schools,  under  govern 
ment  inspection,  were  inaugurated 
1868.  A  chancel  was  added  to  the 
church  about  1870.  The  mission 
has  for  many  years  been  served 
from  Pontypool. 


150 


D 


DALTON-IN-FTTRNESS,        LANCS 

(Liverpool).       Our    Lady    of    the 
Rosary. 

A  school  chapel  was  opened  here 
by  Bishop  O'Reilly,  December  16, 
1879.  It  was  served  from  Barrow 
till  1893. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Edward  Kelly,  1893  to  date. 


DANBY,     YORKSHIRE.       See 
LEYBURN. 


DARLINGTON,  DURHAM  (Hex- 
liain  and  Neivcastle).  St.  Augus 
tine's. 

The  baptismal  register  of  this 
mission  dates  from  1783.  The 
priests  in  charge  of  the  chapel  from 
that  year  to  1848  were  Revs.  J. 
Daniel,  "Wm.  Coghlan,  Lewis  le 
Crornier  (emigre),  Thos.  Story, 
Jos.  Curr,  and  Wm.  Hogarth,  after 
wards  first  Bishop  of  Hexham 
(1850-66).  The  old  chapel  was 
pulled  down  when  the  new  one  was 
built,  in  1826,  from  designs  by 
J.  Bonomi,  Esq.  The  mission  was 
formerly  served  from  Cliffe,  the 
seat  of  the  Witham  family,  whose 
arms  appear  over  the  chapel  door. 
On  the  sale  of  the  Cliffe  estates 
Fr.  Hogarth — '  at  great  sacrifice 
and  expense  '—built  the  Darlington 


chapel.  The  number  of  regular 
communicants  in  1832  was  200. 
In  December  1865,  the  chapel 
underwent  considerable  improve 
ments  and  alterations.  The  side 
windows  were  enlarged  and  a 
Gothic  tower  added.  The  interior 
was  adorned  with  several  fine 
stained-glass  windows.  For  several 
years  after  the  establishment  of  the 
hierarchy,  St.  Augustine's  presby 
tery  was  the  residence  of  the 
bishop  of  the  diocese. 

Priests  since  1850. 
Rev.  Thos.  Crowe,  1849-50. 

„    Robt.  Tate,  D.D.,  1850. 

„    Bishop  Hogarth  of  Hexham 
and  Newcastle,  1852. 

„    Hy.  Coll,  1867. 

„    Jas.    Canon    Rooney,  here  in 
1877  and  to  date. 


DARTFORD,  KENT  (Southward). 
St.  Anselin,  Spital  Street. 

The  mission  was  opened  March  8, 
1866,  but  in  November  1884  when 
Fr.  E.  Buckley  was  priest  of  the 
place,  the  '  chapel '  was  still  '  a 
damp  inconvenient  room,'  barely 
accommodating  sixty  people.  It 
possessed  neither  tabernacle,  vest 
ments,  nor  sacred  vessels.  Mass  was 
only  said  on  Sundays.  The  cottage 
which  did  duty  as  the  Catholic 
school  was  so  ill-adapted  for  the 
purpose  that  the  Government  grant 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


151 


W«is  withdrawn.  The  first  stone  of 
the  new  church  was  laid  March  3, 
1900.  The  style  is  Early  English. 
Accommodation  for  300.  F.  A. 
Walters,  Esq.,  architect.  St.  Vin 
cent's  Industrial  School,  under  the 
direction  of  Brothers  of  the  Pre 
sentation,  was  removed  here  from 
Deptford  in  August  1878.  Fr.  W. 
Thompson,  rector  of  the  mission, 
was  succeeded  by  Fr.  James 
Mahoney,  August  1906. 


DARTMOOR,  DEVON  (Plymouth). 
Convict  Prison,  Prince  Town. 

The  prison  was  built  1806-9,  and 
was  used  at  first  for  the  incarcera 
tion  of  French  and  American 
prisoners  of  war.  After  the  down 
fall  of  Napoleon  in  1815,  the  build 
ing  was  converted  into  a  naphtha 
and  ammonia  factory,  but  in  1850 
again  became  a  prison  for  the 
reception  of  persons  sentenced  to 
penal  servitude.  The  Catholic 
chapel  is  said  to  be  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  county,  the  altar,  &c., 
being  the  work  of  the  convicts. 
Mass  on  Sundays  at  10  A.M.  for 
prisoners,  warders,  and  other  Catho 
lics  of  the  place. 

Catholic  Chaplains. 
Eev.  Geo.  Green,  1863. 

„    David  A.  Coleman,  1891. 

„    Michael  Laurenson,   1900    to 
date. 


DARTMOUTH,  DEVON  (Ply. 
mouth,).  St.  John  the  Baptist. 

The  mission  was  started  1860, 
and  for  some  years  was  served  from 
Torquay.  The  Gothic  church  was 
opened  1869.  A  fine  altar  of 
Malplaquet  stone  was  erected  in 
March  1887. 


Priests. 
Eev.  J.  Jolly,  1863. 

„    J.  B.  Laborie  Key,  1867. 

„    Wm.  Downing,  1885. 

„    Jn.  McCarthy,  1893  to  date. 


DARWEN,  LANCS  (Salford). 
Church  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  Black 
burn  Eoad. 

From  1878,  when  the  mission 
was  started,  to  1882,  Fr.  J.  Lathou- 
wers  had  to  conduct  the  Divine  ser 
vices  in  a  damp  and  leaky  building 
quite  unsuited  for  use  as  a  chapel. 
The  first  stone  of  the  present  church 
was  laid  on  August  19, 1882,  by  the 
Bishop  of  Salford,  afterwards  Cardi 
nal  Vaughan.  Several  of  the  town 
councillors  and  magistrates  con 
tributed  to  the  building  fund.  The 
style  of  the  building  is  Early  Eng 
lish  Gothic,  and  the  seating  capacity 
for  400  persons.  The  cost  of  erec 
tion  was  about  £2,000. 


DAVENTRY,  NORTHAMPTON 
SHIRE  (Northampton).  St.  Mark's. 

This  church  was  opened  on  Low 
Sunday,  1882,  by  Bishop  Eiddell, 
of  Northampton.  The  building  was 
originally  a  stable,  but  by  the 
ingenuity  of  Fr.  Walstan  Smith, 
the  incumbent,  was  converted  into 
*  a  small,  neat,  and  tasteful  church.' 
Lord  Braye,  of  Stanford  Park,  and 
Sir  Charles  Tempest,  of  Ashby 
Lodge,  generously  defrayed  the  ex 
pense  of  alteration. 

Priests. 

Eev.  Walstan  Smith,  1882  till  after 
1898. 

,,    Jas.  Purcell,  to  date. 


152 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


DAWLISH,    DEVONSHIRE    (Ply-    } 
mouth). 

A  room  was  hired  for  a  chapel,    | 
and  Mass  said  for  the  first  time  of   '• 
late  years  by  Fr.  W.  Dawson,  Sun 
day,  February  11,  1906.     The  tern-    I 
porary  chapel  is  close  to  the  sta 
tion,  and  can  accommodate  about 
fifty  persons.    Major-General  Laye 
and  Mr.  Eccles,  of  Teignmouth — 
from  which  town  the  chapel  is  at 
present      served  —  have     greatly 
assisted  in  the  establishment  of  the 
mission. 


DEAL,  KENT  (Southward}.  St. 
Thomas  of  Canterbury. 

The  first  resident  priest  of  this 
mission  was  Fr.  Cuthbert  Downe}7, 
O.S.B.,  of  St.  Augustine's,  Kams- 
gate.  The  first  chapel  was  in  the 
schoolroom,  and  had  'little  in  its 
four  whitewashed  walls  to  inspire 
devotion  in  the  faithful.'  Mass  was 
said  there  for  the  first  time  in  March 
1865.  Fr.  J.  Scratton,  who  laboured 
here  from  1869  to  January  1884, 
was,  on  leaving  the  mission,  pre 
sented  by  his  grateful  congrega 
tion  with  a  handsome  chalice  and 
paten.  He  was  succeeded  by  Mgr. 
Daniewski.  Fr.  A.  Limpens  is  the 
present  rector. 


DEEPCAR,  YORKS  (Leeds).  St. 
Anne. 

A  chapel  was  opened  here  1860 
for  the  benefit  of  the  many  Catholics 
engaged  in  the  local  terracotta  works 
and  collieries.  It  was  served  from 
St.  Vincent  of  Paul's,  Sheffield,  till 
about  1876. 


Priests. 
Rev.  Patrick  Keating,  1876. 

,,    Patrick  Kiernan,  1882;  served 

from  Mortomly,  1898. 
„    John  Carr,  1899  to  date. 


DENABY  MAIN,  ROTHERHAM, 
YORKS  (Leeds).  St.  Alban. 

The  mission  was  commenced 
1894,  the  chapel  being  in  the  priest's 
house,  No.  1  Wood  View.  Fr.  T.  B. 
Kavanagh  is  the  first  and  present 
rector. 


DENTON,  LANCS  (Salford).  St. 
Mary. 

A  school  chapel  was  opened 
1870  (?)  and  served  from  St.  Anne's, 
Ashton-under-Lyrie,  till  1889,  when 
the  mission  became  separate.  Catho 
lic  population  about  800. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Thos.  Twomey,  1889. 

„    Jn.  Welch,  1895. 

„    H.  Schurgers,  1897. 

„    Patrick  Joyner,  1898. 

„    J.  M.  Willemse,  1904  to  date. 


DEPTFORD,  LONDON,  S.E.  (South 
ward).  The  Assumption. 

Fr.  Green,  of  St.  George's,  South- 
wark,  laboured  here  1795-1815,  and 
Fr.  Stewart  1815-23,  Fr.  McCabe 
1823-27.  A  temporary  chapel  was 
opened  in  King  Street  in  1842.  The 
schools  accommodated  about  200 
children.  The  present  church  in 
the  High  Street  was  opened  1846, 
and  enlarged  by  a  chancel  (Decem 
ber  15,  1859).  The  fine  reredos 
(1884)  was  exhibited  at  the  Paris 
Exhibition  1878.  The  church  was 
redecorated  1904.  The  style  is 
geometrical  Gothic.  In  May  1906, 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


153 


a  fine  hall  adjoining  the  church, 
formerly  used  for  concerts  £c.,  was 
acquired  by  the  present  rector 
Fr.  Segesser,  for  the  use  of  the 
mission. 

Priests  since  1843. 
Rev.  W.  Marshall,  1843. 

„    E.  North,  M.R.,  1850. 

„    J.  Norris,  1860. 

„    J.  Canon  Glenie,  M.A.,  1862. 

„    Michael  Canon  Fannan  (curate 
since  May  1865),  1871. 

„    Felix  Segesser,  1905. 

The   Catholic  population   of  the 
district  is  estimated  at  about  7,000. 


DERBY  (Nottingham).  St.  Mary's. 

The  church  was  designed  by  E. 
Welby  Pugin,  and  the  first  stone 
laid  by  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  Fr. 
Ignatius  Spencer.  The  dedication 
took  place  October  9,  1839,  when 
the  sermon  was  preached  by  Bishop 
Wiseman.  The  decorations,  stained- 
glass  windows,  &c.,  were  added  in 
1853.  The  church  was  beautifully 
redecorated  in  November  1892. 
The  reredos  at  the  back  of  the  high 
altar  is  sculptured  with  reliefs  of 
the  Adoration  of  the  Magi,  the 
Annunciation,  &c.  The  Lady  Chapel, 
built  in  1853  from  a  design  by 
Hansom,  has  an  altar  piece  dating 
from  1462.  In  1829  the  number  of 
Catholic  families  in  Derby  was 
twenty.  On  the  Third  Sunday  of 
Advent,  1849,  Bishop  Ullathorne 
confirmed  180  persons  at  St.  Mary's. 
The  Catholic  population  of  Derby 
and  vicinity  was  then  reckoned  at 
3,000.  Fr.  Sing  built  the  Convent 
of  Mercy,  and  the  nuns  took  over 
the  teaching  of  the  Catholic  schools. 
In  June  1849  a  great  Corpus 
Christ!  procession  took  place  round 
the  enclosure  of  the  church,  which 
was  attended  by  many  protestants, 
whose  attitude  was  most  reveren 
tial. 


DERBY.     St.  Joseph's,  Mill  Hill. 

The  growth  of  Catholicity  in 
Derby  necessitated  the  opening  of 
a  temporary  chapel  (Gothic)  in 
Moore  Street,  November  1878.  The 
accommodation  was  for  seventy, 
the  cost  of  the  building  being  about 
£400.  In  1897  the  present  fine 
church  superseded  the  old  chapel, 
and  there  are  now  two  priests  in 
charge  of  the  mission. 


DEVIZES,  WILTS  (Clifton). 
Immaculate  Conception.  St. 
Joseph's  Place. 

Mission  opened  1861,  the  first 
chapel  being  a  disused  warehouse. 
Captain  Jewel  built  the  church 
and  endowed  it.  He  also  estab 
lished  the  mission  at  Malmesbury. 
Devizes  was  long  a  centre  of  in 
tense  protestantism,  and  great 
animus  was  shown  against 
Catholics  when  the  chapel  was 
first  opened.  The  Congregation  of 
St.  Francis  of  Sales  have  had 
charge  of  the  mission  from  the 
commencement. 

N.B. — When  some  of  Lord  George 
Gordon's  emissaries  were  hurrying 
to  Bath  in  1780  to  stir  up  a  '  No 
Popery  '  riot  there,  they  asked  if 
there  were  any  Papists  at  Devizes. 
On  being  informed  that  the  only 
one  was  a  cobbler,  they  said  '  he 
was  beneath  their  notice  '  and  rode 
on !  (Tradition.) 


DEVONPORT      (Plymouth).     SS. 

Michael  and  Joseph. 

In  1860  there  were  neither 
chapel  nor  schools  at  Devonport. 
The  nearest  Catholic  place  of  wor 
ship  was  the  Cathedral,  Plymouth, 
separated  from  Devonport  by  an 
inlet  of  the  sea  crossed  bv  a  toll 


154 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


bridge.  The  congregation,  mostly 
composed  of  soldiers,  sailors,  and 
others  in  her  Majesty's  service, 
amounted  to  1,500.  About  1859 
Government  granted  a  commodious 
site  for  a  church  on  condition  that 
one  was  built  within  two  years. 
On  December  19,  1861,  the  church 
was  opened  by  Bishop  Vaughan,  of 
Plymouth — though  only  the  nave 
and  south  aisle  were  complete  at 
that  time.  The  style  is  Early 
English,  from  the  plans  of  C. 
Hansom.  The  civilian  Catholic 
population  of  Devonport  in  1861 
was  about  500. 

Priests. 
Kev.  Geo.  Hobson,  1861. 

„    Bernard     Verdon,     here     in 
1871. 

„    Jn.   Canon   Lapotre,  here   in 
1883. 

„    Thos.  Kent,  1891  to  date. 


DEWSBURY,  YORKS  (Leeds), 
Our  Lady  and  St.  Paulinus. 

Mass  was  first  said  at  Dews- 
bury  in  '  a  cloth  hall '  in  the  spring 
of  1841  by  Fr.  E.  O'Leary.  This 
chapel  proving  very  inconvenient, 
Fr.  O'Leary  went  to  Ireland  to 
coUect  funds  to  build,  but  returned 
without  much  success.  The  pre 
sent  church  was  opened  Tuesday, 
May  30, 1871.  The  cost  of  erection 
was  £9,000,  the  architect  being  E. 
AV.  Pugin.  In  1881  another  mis 
sion,  dedicated  to  St.  Joseph,  was 
started  at  Batley  Carr,  a  suburb  of 
Dewsbury,  and  by  October  of  the 
same  year  the  school  chapel  had 
proved  '  wholly  inadequate  to  the 
congregation.'  Fr.  Thos.  Parkin 
was  the  first  priest  of  the  new 
foundation. 


DITTON  HALL,  LANCS  (Liver- 
pool}.  St.  Michael. 

The  Jesuit  fathers  expelled  from 
Prussia  by  the  '  May  Laws  ' 
opened  a  mission  here  about  1875. 
A  fine  church  presented  by  the 
Marchioness  Stapleton-Bretherton 
was  erected  in  1879,  and  a  large  con 
gregation  gradually  formed  round 
it.  A  pulpit  of  Caen  stone  was 
set  up  in  September  1882.  The 
schools  were  built  in  1886  by  the 
noble  foundress  of  the  church. 
Fr.  Anthony  de  Haza  Kadlitz,  S.J., 
was  the  first  priest  in  charge  of 
the  mission.  The  German  Jesuits 
quitted  charge  of  the  place  in 
August  1895,  when  Fr.  Dupuy,  S.J., 
of  the  English  Province,  was  ap 
pointed.  Fr.  T.  Dawson  is  the 
present  rector. 


DODDING,  or  DODDIN  GREEN, 
KENDAL,  WESTMORLAND  (Hex- 
ham  and  Newcastle).  SS.  Robert 
and  Alice. 

This  mission  was  founded  by 
Robert  and  Alice  Stevenson  in 
1724.  The  first  priest  of  the 
mission,  Fr.  Thomas  Roy  don,  had 
prior  to  this  been  chaplain  to  John 
Leyburne,  Esq.,  of  Nateby.  This 
gentleman  joined  the  forces  of  the 
Chevalier  de  St.  George  (James 
Francis  Stuart '  the  Old  Pretender') 
during  the  rising  of  1715,  and  lost 
several  fine  estates  in  consequence. 
Fr.  Roydon  was  what  was  known 
as  '  a  riding  priest,'  i.e.  one  whose 
duty  it  was  to  ride  round  the 
country  and  visit  the  Catholics  on 
the  various  estates  of  his  patron — in 
this  case,  Mr.  Leyburne.  After 
the  disaster  of  1715,  Fr.  Roydon 
went  to  live  with  Mr.  Stevenson 
who  at  his  death  left  him  his 
estate.  Fr.  Roydon  died  in  1741 
and  was  succeeded  in  the  estate  by 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


1,55 


his  nephew,  Mr.  Thomas  Roydon, 
who  died  October  17,  1764.  Doddin 
Green  was  said  to  be  the  best 
mission  in  the  northern  vicariate 
in  1803.  Owing  to  an  unhappy 
dispute  there  was  no  incumbent 
from  1812  till  1834.  Two  other 
vacancies  have  since  occurred,  viz. 
1844-60  and  1874-79.  The  chapel 
is  still  a  room  in  the  priest's  house, 
and  the  congregation  is  regarded  as 
the  second  smallest  in  England. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Thos.  Roydon,  1724. 
„  Robt.  Johnson,  1764. 
„  John  Lonsdale,  1799. 
„  R.  Bannister,  1802-12. 

(Mission  vacant  till  1834.) 
„    Henry  Bannister    or   Rutter, 
1834.     This     priest   was   a 
nephew     of   the    preceding 
and  held  the  mission  till  his 
death  in  1838.     He  was  an 
uncle    of    Bishop    Goss   of 
Liverpool. 
Rev.  C.  Brigham,  1838. 

(Mission  vacant  1844-60.) 
„    Robt.  Canon  Hogarth. 
„    Ralph  Canon  Platt,  1868—  '  a 
classical  scholar,    an    anti 
quarian,  a  philosopher,  and 
a  theologian.' 

(Mission   vacant    1874-79.) 
„    Canon  Curry,  1879. 
„    Henry     Brettargh,    1892     to 
date. 


DONCASTER,  YORKS  (Leeds). 
St.  Peter's  Chains. 

In  1833  the  Catholic  population 
of  Doncaster  is  said  not  to  have 
exceeded  twelve.  The  chapel  in 
Princes  Street  was  opened  1835. 
and  three  years  later  Confirmation 
was  given  here  for  the  first  time 
since  the  Reformation  by  Bishop 
Briggs,  V.A.  On  November  12, 
1843,  sixty-eight  persons  were  con 


firmed  at  Doncaster,  and  in  1864 
the  Catholic  population  of  the  place 
was  estimated  at  about  900.  By 
this  time  the  chapel,  which  only 
accommodated  200,  had  become  old 
and  dilapidated,  and  the  priest,  Fr. 
E.  Pearson,  appealed  for  funds  to 
build.  The  present  church  was 
built  between  October  1866  and 
August  1867.  The  style  is  thir 
teenth  century  Gothic.  The  cost 
was  £1,500,  of  which  £1,000  was 
contributed  by  Charles  Cholmonde- 
ley,  Esq.,  of  Doncaster. 

Priests. 
Rev.  J.  Furniss,  1835. 

J.  Ball,  1840. 

Robt.  Gibson,  1848. 

Win.  Scruton,  1857. 

Jos.  Hill,  here  1862. 

Edward  Pearson,  1863. 

Chas.   Burke,   here   1871  till 

1892. 

„    Andrew    Leonard,     1892    to 
date. 


DORCHESTER,  DORSET  (Ply. 
mouth).  Our  Lady  of  the  Martyrs. 

A  Gothic  school-chapel  was 
erected  in  the  High  Street,  Dor 
chester,  in  November  1867.  Bishop 
Vaughan,  of  Plymouth,  remarked  in 
his  sermon,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
solemn  opening,  that  the  holy  sacri 
fice  of  the  Mass  had  not  been 
offered  in  Dorchester  since  the 
martyrdom  of  Fr.  Hugh  Green,  of 
Chideock  there  in  1642.  At  first 
the  chapel  was  served  by  Fr.  John 
Charles,  of  Weymouth. 

N.B.— The  Ven.  Hugh  Green,  of 
Douai,  served  the  mission  at  Chide 
ock  in  Dorsetshire,  as  chaplain  to 
Lord  and  Lady  Arimdell  of  War- 
dour.  He  was  arrested  at  Lyme 
while  proceeding  to  France,  and 
sentenced  to  death  at  the  Dorchester 
assizes  '  for  being  a  priest  contrary 


156 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


to  the  laws.1  He  suffered  at  Dor 
chester  August  19,  1G42.  Fr. 
Thomas  Pritchard  suffered  for  the 
Faith  here  March  21,  1587. 


DORCHESTER,        OXFORDSHIRE 

(Birmingham).     St.  Birinus. 

The  mission  was  re-established 
from  Oxford  by  Fr.  Robt.  Newshani, 
1823.  He  served  the  place  till 
1834,  when  apparently  he  was 
forced  to  relinquish  it  for  some 
years.  The  church  was  opened  by 
Bishop  Ullathorne,  V.A.,  August 
21,  1849.  John  Davey,  Esq.,  de 
frayed  the  cost  of  erection  of  the 
building,  which  was  designed  by 
W.  Wardell.  Fr.  Newsham  took 
up  permanent  residence  in  the  mis 
sion  this  year  and  added  a  fine  rood- 
screen  to  the  church.  He  was  in 
cumbent  till  his  death  in  October 
1859,  aged  76.  The  interior  of  the 
church  is  adorned  with  some  fine 
coloured  windows  illustrating  events 
in  the  life  of  St.  Birinus. 
Recent  Priests. 
Rev.  Henry  James  Green,  1860. 

„    Henry  Davey,  1863. 

,,    James  Narey,  1876. 

„    Win.  Barry,  D.D.,  1885.     The 
distinguished  litterateur. 


DORKING,  SURREY  (Southward). 
St.  Joseph's. 

In  the  eighteenth  century  the  few 
Catholics  of  the  district  were  at 
tended  by  the  chaplains  of  the 
Dukes  of  Norfolk,  who  possess  much 
property  in  the  neighbourhood.  In 
the  record  of  a  baptism  at  Reigate 
on  June  4,  1779,  one  Edward 
Menzies,  '  in  service  of  the  Duke  of 
Norfolk  at  Dorking,'  is  mentioned 
as  sponsor.  Fr.  M.  Pembridge, 
O.S.B.,  was  here  1786-91.  The 


present  mission  dates  from  1871, 
when  an  unpretentious  chapel  was 
opened  in  Coldharbour  Lane. 
Schools  were  inaugurated  March 
1877,  about  which  time  the  chapel 
was  redecorated.  The  present 
church  in  the  thirteenth  century 
style  of  Gothic  was  opened  June  26, 
1895,  and  is  in  memory  of  Miiia 
Duchess  of  Norfolk.  The  accommo 
dation  is  for  500.  Mr.  F.  A.  Walters, 
architect. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Geo.  Ballard,  1871. 

„    J.  F.  Volckeryck,  1878. 

„    W.  B.  Alexander,  1903. 


DOVER,  KENT  (Southwarty.    St. 

Paul. 

The  mission  registers  date  from 
1822.  Early  in  the  nineteenth  cen 
tury  Mass  was  said  at  various  private 
houses  in  the  town,  e.g.  at  45  Siiar- 
gate  Street.  The  visiting  priest 
about  this  time  was  the  zealous 
Fr.  Costigan,  of  Margate.  In  1824 
Fr.  Patrick  Portal  became  resident 
priest.  He  left  in  1826,  when  the 
mission  was  again  periodically 
served  by  Fr.  Costigan.  In  1834 
Fr.  F.  Jarrett,  chaplain  to  the 
Robinson  family,  who  lived  in 
Dover,  used  to  say  Mass  over  a 
carpenter's  shop.  After  a  time  a 
Methodist  chapel  in  Queen  Eliza 
beth  Square  was  purchased  by 
Mr.  H.  Robinson  and  fitted  up  as 
a  chapel  (1835).  Tradition  says 
that  Wesley  preached  here.  A 
house  close  by  was  also  purchased 
for  £315  for  use  as  a  presbytery. 
Fr.  Jarrett  was  succeeded  by  Frs. 
J.  B.  Hearn  and  J.  L.  Savage.  In 
1861  a  site  for  a  new  church  was 
purchased  through  Major  Molyneux 
Seel.  At  this  time  the  Catholic 
population  of  Dover,  exclusive  of 
the  military,  numbered  190.  The 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


157 


site  in  the  Ashentree  Lane  was 
found  to  be  unsuitable,  and  another 
was  purchased  in  the  Maison  Dieu 
Eoad.  The  new  church— designed 
by  E.  Welby  Pugin — was  com 
menced  June  1,  1867,  and  opened 
May  15, 1868.  Archbishop  Manning 
preached  at  the  Mass  of  inaugu 
ration.  The  style  of  the  building  is 
thirteenth  century  Gothic.  Its  erec 
tion  was  largely  due  to  the  untiring 
exertions  of  Fr.  James  Laws,  priest 
at  Dover  from  1863  till  his  retire 
ment  in  1891.  Much  of  the  money 
expended  on  the  fabric  came  from 
the  bequest  of  the  Countess  de 
Front,  wife  of  the  Sardinian  Minis 
ter  to  the  Court  of  St.  James.  This 
lady  died  in  London,  January  7, 
1830;  and  on  the  death  of  her 
brother,  Sir  Thomas  Fleet\vood,the 
money  came  into  the  hands  of 
Bishop  Grant,  of  Southwark.  The 
church  at  Dover  was  enlarged  by 
thirty  feet  and  re-opened  in  1873. 
The  building  was  consecrated  by 
Bishop  Bourne  in  1897. 


DOWNALL       GKEEN,       WIGAN, 
LANGS  (Liverpool). 

Mission  established  1896. 

Priests. 
Rev.  James  Smith,  1896. 

„    John  Smith,  to  date. 


DOWNSIDE,  near  BATH,  SOMER 
SET  (Clifton).  St.  Gregory's 
Abbey. 

In  1605  an  English  Benedictine 
monk,  named  Dom  Augustine 
Bradshaw,  opened  a  school,  for  the 
sons  of  his  fellow-countrymen,  at 
Douai.  The  foundation  was  greatly 
fostered  by  the  Archduke  Albert 
and  Dom  Philip  Cavarel,  Abbot  of 
the  Benedictine  monastery  of  St. 


Vedast  at  Arras.  The  school  grew 
into  the  monastery  of  St.  Gregory 
the  Great,  opened  at  Douai,  Octo 
ber  11, 1611.  Swept  away  with  the 
other  Catholic  institutions  of  France 
during  the  fury  of  the  Revolution 
in  1793,  the  Fathers  and  students 
escaped  to  England,  where  Sir 
John  Smythe,  Bart.,  of  Acton  Bur- 
nell  (Shropshire),  an  old  pupil  of 
the  Benedictines,  gave  the  fugitives 
hospitality.  The  college  re-estab 
lished  at  Acton  Burnell  continued 
till  1814,  when  the  purchase  of  the 
manor  house  and  estate  of  Down 
side  enabled  the  community  to 
settle  there.  In  1823  the  old  manor 
house — still  standing — was  supple 
mented  by  a  new  chapel  and  college, 
in  the  Gothic  style,  designed  by 
Goodridge  of  Bath.  The  chapel 
was  opened  by  Bishop  Baines, 
V.A.W.D.,  July  10,  1823.  The 
'  new  '  college  block,  by  C.  Hansom, 
was  erected  1853-56,  during  the 
presidency  of  Prior  Sweeney.  The 
monastery  and  college  extension — 
the  plans  of  which  were  drawn  up  by 
Messrs.  Dunn  and  Hansom — were 
commenced  on  October  1,  1873, 
and  opened  in  September  1876,  the 
foundation  stone  being  laid  by 
Cardinal  Manning.  The  splendid 
Decorated  Gothic  church,  begun  at 
the  same  time,  is  only  now  ap 
proaching  completion.  The  tran 
septs  were  opened  in  1882,  and  the 
'  series  of  chapels,  forming  a  corona 
round  sanctuary  and  choir,'  between 
1885  and  1901.  Beneath  the  high 
altar  reposes  the  body  of  the  Ven. 
Archbishop  Oliver  Plunket,  of 

|  Armagh,  one  of  the  victims  of  the 
Titus  Gates  Plot  (1681),  formerly 

!  preserved  at  the  Benedictine  monas 
tery  of  Lambspring  in  Bavaria. 

!    The  priory  of  Downside  was  created 

j  an  abbey  in  1900,  the  Right  Rev. 
Hugh  Ford,  O.S.B.,  being  the  first 

;    abbot.     It  is  impossible  in  a  brief 


158 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


notice  like  this  to  refer  to  the 
college  further.  Since  its  founda 
tion,  it  has  held  a  distinguished 
place  in  the  educational  field  of 
English  Catholicity.  It  was  affili 
ated  to  the  London  University  by 
Eoyal  Charter  in  1841.  Quite  re 
cently  a  foundation,  known  as  St. 
Benet's,  for  Benedictine  University 
candidates,  has  been  opened  at 
Cambridge.  From  the  point  of 
view  of  the  present  work,  Downside 
is  one  of  the  most  important  cen 
tres  of  Catholicity  in  England,  and 
during  its  existence  of  almost  a 
century  on1  English  soil  has  be 
come  the  mother  of  not  a  few  of 
the  chief  neighbouring  missions, 
as  St.  Benedict's,  Stratton-on-the- 
Fosse,  erected  in  1857. 


DRIFFIELD,  YORKS  (Middles- 
brougli).  Our  Lady  and  St. 
Edward. 

The  mission  was  opened  about 
the  end  of  January  1883.  Mass 
was  at  first  said  in  a  large  private 
house  and  afterwards  in  the  Corn 
Exchange.  The  number  of  Catho 
lics  in  the  town  was  then  about  100. 
When  the  Bishop  of  Middlesbrough 
visited  the  chapel  in  February 
1883,  some  600  protestants  were 
drawn  to  the  extemporised  place  of 
worship  '  to  hear  a  Catholic  Bishop 
preach  and  witness  the  ceremony.' 
The  feeling  of  the  town  at  the  out 
set  of  the  mission  is  described  as 
having  been  '  exceedingly  favour 
able.' 

Recent  Priests. 
Kev.  Francis  Gerrard,  1889. 

„    Win.  Storey,  1893  to  date. 


DUDLEY,       WORCESTERSHIRE 

(Birmingham).     Our  Blessed  Lady 
and  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury. 

The  mission  was  established 
1835  from  West  Bromwich.  The 
site  of  the  church  was  acquired 
1837.  The  church  was  consecrated 
by  Bishop  Wiseman  on  Easter 
Monday  1842. 

Priests. 
Eev.  J.  O'Neill,  1837. 

Henry  Elwes,  1840. 

M.  Horgan,  1842. 

Geo.  Fox,  1848. 

Thos.  Moore,  1857. 

Jas.  Bond,  here  in  1862. 

Thos.    Keates,   here   in    1888 
and  to  date. 


DUKINFIELD,       CHESHIRE 

(Shreivsbury).     St.  Mary. 

A  hired  room  in  Cricket's  Lane 
served  as  a  chapel  in  1822.  A 
regular  mission  was  established 
three  years  later,  when  a  church 
was  erected  in  Astley  Street. 
Owing  to  signs  of  collapse,  in  con 
sequence  of  the  church  being  built 
over  a  coal-mine,  the  services  were 
transferred  to  a  room  of  the  '  Old 
General'  Inn  hard  by  in  1847. 
The  present  church  was  commenced 
1854  and  finished  in  March  1856. 
Schools  were  erected  in  1872. 

Priests. 

Rev.  J.  Fisher,  1825. 
„    T.  Gillett,  1835. 
„    R.  Brown,  1837. 
„    W.  Henderson,  1839. 
„    G.  Fisher,  1840. 

(Served     from     Aston-under- 

Lyne,  1848-56.) 
W.  Fennelly,  1856. 
H.  England,  1857. 
P.  Power,  1858. 
J.  Jones,  1859. 
E.  Hilton,  1863. 
P.  Lyons,  1869. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


159 


Rev.  M.  Craig,  1876. 
„    A.  Tremmery,  1883. 
„    T.  Ratcliffe,  1886. 
„    C.  Collenbier,  1888. 
„    P.  Cleary,  1900. 


DULWICH  (EAST),  LONDON,  S.E. 

(Southward).        St.     Anthony     of 
Padua. 

Mass  was  said  here  in  the  tem 
porary  chapel,  Lordship  Lane,  for 
the  first  time  on  Whit  Sunday, 
June  1, 1879.  In  1882  the  average 
attendance  at  Mass  on  Sundays 
was  about  200.  The  number  of 
Catholic  children  was  about  180. 
Schools  for  boys  and  girls  were 
opened  in  November  1883.  The 
new  schools  were  opened  in  April 
1885,  and  in  May  of  the  same  year 
the  new  church.  The  High  Mass 
was  sung  by  the  Bishop  of  Melos. 
The  mission  was  subsequently 
taken  over  by  the  English  Bene 
dictines,  who  took  formal  posses 
sion  of  the  chapel  on  Sunday, 
July  10,  1892.  Fr.  Wulstan 
Richards,  O.S.B.,  preached  on  the 
history  of  the  Benedictines  in  Eng 
land  in  recent  times. 


DUNMOW,  ESSEX  (Westminster). 
Our  Lady. 

The  little  church  was  opened  in 
1853,  and  served  for  years  from 
Ongar.  Owing,  we  believe,  to 
financial  difficulties,  it  had  to  be 
closed  about  1878,  when  Mass  was 
only  said  at  irregular  intervals  on 
week-days.  In  June  1898  the 
church  was  again  opened  for  regular 
services  at  the  initiative  of  the  late 
Cardinal  Vaughan.  At  present 
(1904)  the  mission  is  served  from 
Brajntree. 


DUNSTON,  DURHAM  (Hexham 
and  Newcastle).  St.  Philip  Neri. 

Mass  has  been  said  here  regu 
larly  since  February  1880,  when 
Fr.  Arnold  Matthews  fitted  up  a 
chapel  at  4  Brompton  Place.  '  The 
new  and  elegant  school  chapel ' 
was  opened  for  service  on  Advent 
Sunday  1882.  On  Christmas  Day 
the  same  year  a  magnificent  altar 
of  inlaid  wood  and  reredos  con 
taining  an  elegant  portrait  of  St. 
Philip  were  exposed  for  the  first 
time.  The  chapel  accommodation 
is  for  500  persons.  A  large  iron 
church,  to  accommodate  700,  was 
opened  Sunday,  June  4,  1905,  on 
a  site  granted  by  the  late  Lady 
Ravensworth,  who  also  presented 
a  tine  Madonna  picture  as  altar- 
piece. 


DURHAM,  ST.  CUTHBERT'S,  OLD 
EL  VET  (Hexham  and  Newcastle). 

The  Durham  mission  is  stated 
to  have  been  '  founded  from  time 
immemorial.'  During  the  penal 
times  it  was  long  known  among 
missioners  as  '  Mrs.  Durham.' 
Bishop  Leyburn  confirmed  1,024 
persons  here  in  1687.  Fr.  Thos. 
Pearson,  S.J.,  was  the  priest  at 
this  time.  In  1688  the  Mass-house 
and  presbytery  were  burnt  by  the 
mob,  but  Fr.  Pearson  continued 
his  labours  and  died  at  Durham, 
1732,  aged  87.  The  register  dates 
from  about  1708  with  an  entry  of 
the  death  of  Margaret  Carnaby, 
I0b.  11  Jan.,  1708-9.'  After  the 
baptism  of  Sarah  Watson,  Janu 
ary  20,  1746,  the  following  words 
occur  :  '  Not  continued  for  yl  year, 
probably  on  ace1  of  ye  difficulty  of 
ye  Times.'  The  Jacobite  rebellion 
of  1745-46  was  then  at  its  height, 
and  the  laws  against  '  Papists '  were 
were  being  strictly  enforced.  Frs. 


160 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Edward  Walsh  and  John  Scott 
were  priests  here  in  1768  and 
Fr.  Nicholas  Clavering  in  1778.  In 
1826  the  Jesuits,  who  had  hitherto 
served  the  mission,  made  over  the 
chapel  to  Bishop  Smith,  V.A..N.D. 
The  old  chapel  would  appear  to 
have  become  dilapidated  or  insuffi 
cient  at  this  time,  for  in  1827  '  an 
elegant  Gothic  chapel,  from  a  design 
by  Ignatius  Bonomi,  Esq.,'  was 
announced  as  being  erected.  It 
was  opened  the  same  year. 
Priests  since  1825. 
Rev.  W.  Croskell,  V.G.  (and  John 
Scott). 

„    Win.  Fletcher,  D.D.,  1840. 

„    Provost  Platt,  V.G.,  1857. 

„    Provost  Edward  Consitt,  M.B., 
1868. 

,,    Wm.    Canon    Brown,    rector 
here  in  1889  to  date. 


DURHAM  (Hex ham  and  New 
castle).  St.  Godric. 

This  church  was  not  completed 
till  1864.  In  1859  (June)  a  tem 


porary  chapel  was  opened  in  Fram- 
wellgato  in  a  house  formerly  be 
longing  to  a  Miss  Williams.  The 
drawing-room  was  fitted  up  as  a 
chapel  capable  of  holding  500  per 
sons.  The  room  is  described  as 
being  '  a  very  elegant  one,'  adorned 
with  some  splendid  wood-carving 
by  Catisi.  The  first  Mass  was  said 
by  Provost  Platt.  The  Catholics 
of  Durham  numbered  about  3,000 
in  1868,  when  the  present  church 
of  St.  Godric  was  commenced. 
The  style  is  Decorated  Gothic. 
The  stone  was  laid  by  Bishop 
Hogarth,  of  Hexham.  Most  of  the 
money  (£3,000)  for  the  erection  of 
the  church  was  collected  by  Canon 
Smith  ('Durham  Chronicle').  The 
solemn  opening  of  the  building  took 
place  on  November  15,  1864.  The 
seating  capacity  is  for  about  500 
persons. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Bobt.  Pattison. 

,,    John  Nolan,  1871. 

„    Wm.  Perrin.  1874. 

„    G.  Jones,  1885. 

„    Bobt.  Thornton,  1895  to  date. 


161 


B 


BALING,  LONDON,  W.  (West 
minster).  SS.  Joseph  and  Peter. 

The  mission  was  established  in 
1893.  At  first  Mass  was  said  in  a 
small  room  of  a  private  house  in 
Windsor  Eoad.  Afterwards  a  chapel 
was  opened  in  the  drawing-room  of 
Mattock  Lodge,  Mattock  Lane.  A 
large  temporary  chapel  was  sub 
sequently  erected  by  the  first 
priest  of  the  mission.  In  March 
1899,  the  Benedictine  Fathers 
took  over  the  mission,  and  by  this 
time  a  handsome  church  (St. 
Benedict's)  had  been  erected  in  the 
Blakesley  Avenue.  Early  in  1901, 
the  nuns  of  the  Holy  Child  esta 
blished  a  convent  school  at  Castle- 
hill  House,  a  fine  old  mansion 
formerly  occupied  by  the  Visitation 
Nuns,  now  of  Harrow.  The  style 
of  the  church,  opened  November  26, 
1899,  is  fifteenth  century  Gothic,  the 
design  comprising,  when  complete, 
wide  nave,  two  aisles,  choir,  sanctu 
ary,  seven  side  chapels,  and  crypt. 
F.  A.  Walters,  F.S.A.,  architect. 

At  the  commencement  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  the  Catholic 
Earl  Rivers  had  a  mansion  at 
Baling.  Fr.  John  Savage,  his 
nephew,  was  there  as  chaplain,  1712. 
He  succeeded  the  earl  as  fifth  and 
last  of  the  title  1715.  He  conformed 
to  the  Established  Church,  and  en 
tered  the  House  of  Lords,  but  soon 
repented,  and  retiring  abroad,  died 
Canon  of  Seclin,  near  Douai.  17^7. 


EARLSFIELD,  near  TOOTING, 
SURREY  (Southwwk).  St.  Gregory 
the  Great. 

A  plain  church,  in  the  Roman 
esque  style,  was  opened  in  Novem 
ber  1904,  and  Mass  said  for  the 
first  time  on  Sunday,  the  20th 
of  the  same  month.  The  church  is 
the  gift  of  an  anonymous  bene 
factress.  The  Catholics  of  the  dis 
trict,  to  the  number  of  about  800, 
had  formerly  to  go  for  Mass  to 
Wandsworth  and  Tooting.  The  Rev. 
F.  Laurence,  now  of  Horsham,  was 
the  first  rector  of  the  mission,  which 
is  at  present  served  by  the  Salesian 
Fathers  of  Battersea. 


EASINGTON,  DURHAM  (HexJiam 
and  Newcastle).  Our  Lady  of  Vic 
tories. 

The  mission  was  established  from 
Hutton  House  (q.v.)  in  1863.     Two 
years  later  the  present  church  was 
opened  on  Ferry  Hill. 
Priests. 
Rev.  William  Markland. 

„    Lawrence  Boland,  1878. 

„    Geo.  Gregson,  1895  to  date. 


EASINGWOLD,  YORKS  (Middles 
brough). 

The  mission  was  originally  served 
from  the  domestic  chapel  at  Gilling 

M 


162 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Castle,  the  seat  of  the  Catholic 
Lords  Fairfax.  The  last  of  this 
ancient  family  was  Lady  Anne  Fair 
fax,  who  died  unmarried  in  1793. 
A  house  which  she  built  for  her 
chaplain,  Dom  Anselm  Bolton, 
O.S.B.,  became  the  nucleus  of 
Ampleforth  College  in  1802.  After 
her  death,  the  mission  of  Gilling  was 
removed  to  Craike,  and  thence  to 
Easingwold  in  1830.  The  register 
only  dates  from  1819.  In  1898  the 
old  chapel  was  superseded  by  the 
present  church.  The  mission  has 
always  been  under  the  care  of  the 
Benedictines. 

Priests  from  1824. 
Eev.  T.  Croupe. 

„    J.  Tyrer,  1827. 

„    J.  Dowding,  1835. 

„    Michael  Brown,  1877. 

„    Sir  John  Swale,  Bart.,  1879. 

„    Kalph  Pearson,  1885  to  date. 


EAST       BERGHOLT,        SUFFOLK 

(Northampton).  St.  Mary's  Abbey. 
After  the  destruction  of  English 
religious  houses  under  Henry  VIII., 
a  convent  was  founded  in  Brussels 
under  the  title  of  the  Glorious 
Assumption  (1598).  The  foundress 
of  this  abbey  was  Lady  Mary  Percy, 
kinswoman  of  the  Duke  of  North 
umberland,  assisted  by  the  Ladies 
Dorothy  and  Gertrude  Arundell,  of 
the  noble  house  of  Wardour.  Dame 
Joanna  Berkeley,  daughter  of  Sir 
John  Berkeley,  of  Beveston  Castle, 
Gloucestershire,  was  the  first  ab 
bess,  and  Lady  Mary  Percy,  a  niece 
of  the  foundress,  the  second.  When 
the  French  Eevolutionists  invaded 
Belgium  in  1794,  the  nuns  were 
forced  to  seek  refuge  in  England, 
after  witnessing  the  loss  of  the  bulk 
of  their  property.  With  the  assist 
ance  of  Bishop  Milner  they  opened 
a  house  at  Winchester,  where  the 


community  remained  till  1857,  when 
they  removed  to  East  Bergholt.  A 
high-class  ladies'  school  was  main 
tained  here  till  1877,  when  it  was 
discontinued,  both  on  account  of 
the  many  schools  of  the  kind  in 
England  and  for  the  more  perfect 
accomplishment  of  a  chief  duty  of 
the  rule,  i.e.  the  singing  of  divine 
office  in  choir. 


EASTBOURNE,  SUSSEX  (South- 
war  Jc).  Our  Lady  of  Eansorn. 

The  mission  was  established  1869, 
when  Fr.  Charles  King  opened  a 
temporary  chapel  in  Terminus 
Place.  Another  brick  building  was 
afterwards  erected  in  the  Junction 
Eoad,  under  the  title  of  Stella  Maris. 
Fr.  Charles  Stapley  commenced  the 
existing  handsome  Gothic  church 
in  1890,  and  it  was  completed  1903, 
during  the  rectorate  of  the  present 
incumbent,  Fr.  Paul  Lynch,  B.A. 
St.  Joseph's  School  Chapel,  Whitley 
Eoad  .was  opened  as  a  chapel-of- 
ease  to  the  mother  church  in  Sep 
tember  1895  by  Canon  E.  St.  John. 
A  church,  dedicated  to  St.  Agnes, 
is  in  course  of  erection.  It  is  the 
gift  of  a  lady,  and  will  cost  about 
£1,500. 


EAST        GRINSTEAD,        SUSSEX 

(Southward).     Our   Lady    and  St. 
Peter. 

The  mission  was  served  by  the 
Jesuits  during  the  '  troubled  times.' 
The  chapel  appears  to  have  been  at 
Edge  Court  till  about  1774,  when 
the  place  was  sold.  Among  the 
items  of  '  Church  stuff '  at  this  time 
were  included  '  five  silver  candle 
sticks,  silver  thurible,  two  cruets  of 
silver,  four  sets  of  vestments,  Mass- 
book,  and  large  crucifix.'  Fr.  Hy. 
Molyneux,  S.J.,  priest  here  from 
1721  to  1733,  was  paid  £30  a  year 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


163 


from  '  Mrs.  Hants.'  The  existing 
mission  was  commenced  in  1879, 
under  the  title  of  SS.  Edward 
and  Louis,  and  was  served  from 
Crawley.  The  present  church  was 
consecrated  August  1,  1899. 

Priests. 
Kev.  Fredk.  Edwards,  1885  ;  served 

from  Crawley  1889-99 
„    John  Burke,  1899. 


EAST  HAM,  PLAISTOW,  LONDON, 

E.  (Westminster). 

This  mission  was  formerly  known 
as  Upton  Park  and  Plaistow.  In 
1878  it  was  served  by  a  temporary 
chapel  dedicated  to  St.  Anthony 
and  attended  from  Stratford  (q.v.). 
When  St.  Edward's  Orphanage  for 
Boys  was  established  here  in  1878, 
under  the  care  of  the  Brothers  of 
Mercy,  a  chapel  was  attached  for 
the  use  of  the  community,  and  this 
temporarily  served  the  mission  from 
1891  to  1903.  The  premises  occu 
pied  by  the  Orphanage  were  for 
merly  known  as  Greenstead  House, 
in  the  garden  of  which  Henry  VIII. 
erected  a  tower  50  feet  high  for 
Anne  Boleyn ;  hence  the  place  is 
often  called  Boleyn  Castle.  Fr. 
Joseph  Zsilkay,  who  was  chaplain 
here  1879-99,  did  much  to  extend 
Catholicity  in  the  neighbourhood. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Fr.  E.  Walsh 
and  A.  Maes.  The  mission  has  now 
its  own  church,  situated  in  Castle 
Street. 


EASTLEIGH,      HANTS       (Ports 
mouth}.     The  Holy  Cross. 

The  mission  was  established 
1885  and  served  from  Winchester 
till  1888,  when  the  Rev.  T.  Ryan 
was  appointed  resident  priest.  The 
church,  in  the  Gothic  style,  was 
consecrated  by  Bishop  Cahill  in 
August  1902. 


Priests. 

Rev.  T.  Ryan,  1888. 
Jn.  Molloy,  1891. 
Joseph  Hayes,  1893. 
J.  E.  McCarthy,  1896. 
Albert  Clarke,  1899. 
Thos.  Hickey,  D.D.,  1903  to 
date. 


EAST      HARPTREE,      SOMERSET 

(Clifton). 

The  Faith  lived  on  in  this  dis 
trict  after  the  Reformation  owing 
to  the  protection  of  the  Waldegrave 
family  of  East  Harptree  Court.  In 
1722  James,  second  Earl  Walde 
grave,  'conformed  to  the  Esta 
blished  Church,'  after  which  Mass 
was  only  said  occasionally  in  the 
neighbourhood.  In  1794  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Hunt,  assisted  by  his  family, 
commenced  a  regular  mission  at 
Shortwood,  in  this  district.  The  old 
chapel,  dedicated  to  St.  Michael, 
was  opened  May  15,  1806.  Fr. 
Hunt's  father  took  the  name  of 
Beaumont  on  succeeding  to  some 
property,  but  his  son  always  retained 
the  older  patronymic.  Among  the 
benefactors  to  the  Shortwood 
mission  was  the  Rev.  Jn.  Brookes, 
rector  of  Hinton  Bluett,  who  em 
braced  the  Catholic  faith  about 
1804.  In  or  about  1883,  the  old 
territorial  title  of  Shortwood  was 
altered  to  that  of  East  Harptree. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Joseph  Hunt,  1794. 
„    Jn.  Swarbrick,  1838. 

Jn.  Larkan,  1838. 

James  Dawson,  1841. 

Moses  Furlong,  1842. 

Thos.  Dawson,  1842. 

Thos.  Fergusson,  D.D.,  1844. 

Patrick  Kelly,  1844. 

Thos.  Rooker,  1845. 

Thos.  M'Donnell,  1852. 

Jn.  B.  Morris,  1861. 

M2 


164 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Eev.  Eobt.  Platt,  here  1871. 


opened  in  1798.     The  place  was  at 


Hon.  Everard  Arundell,  1878.       various  times  in  subsequent  years 
™™   woioi,    icon  i    served  from  Nottingham  and   Mel- 

ton  Mowbray.  In  June  1904  the 
mission  became  independent.  Fr. 
Hendricks  is  the  incumbent. 


Wm.  Walsh,  1880. 
Eobt.  Dunham,  1883. 
Geo.  Johnson,  1886. 
Cornelius  Carrol],  to  date. 


EAST  HENDRED,  BERKS  (Ports 
mouth). %  St.  Mary. 

This  parish  is  inseparably  asso 
ciated  with  the  ancient  Catholic 
family  of  Eyston,  the  patrons  of 
the  mission.  In  1688  the  domestic 
chaplain  of  the  Eystons  was  plun 
dered  by  a  party  of  Orange  soldiers 
on  their  way  to  Oxford,  and  among 
the  list  of  recusants  for  the  county 
of  Berks  assessed  at  the  double  land 
tax,  pursuant  to  the  Act  of  1722, 
appear  the' names  of  Charles  and 
Eobert  Eyston,  Esquires.  The  old 
chapel  of  St.  Amand  served  the 
mission  prior  to  the  present  one, 
opened  in  1865.  In  July  1849 
Bishop  Wiseman  confirmed  thirty- 
six  persons  in  the  chapel,  and  on 
Sunday,  August  30,  1862,  Bishop 
Grant,  of  Southwark,  consecrated  a 
new  altar.  The  whole  of  the  ancient 
fabric  was  thoroughly  restored  the 
same  year  by  Mr.  C.  Buckler,  of 
Oxford.  The  church  of  East  Hen- 
dred  was  made  over  to  the  diocese 
of  Southwark  in  1865  by  Charles 
Eyston,  Esq.,  and  consecrated  by 
Bishop  Grant  on  August  17  of  the 
same  year.  The  mission  is  now  in 
the  Portsmouth  diocese. 


EASTWELL,       LEICESTERSHIRE 

(Nottingham}.  The  Holy  Family. 
Described  as  a  very  old  mission, 
'  The  secret  chapel  in  Eastwell 
Hall'  served  the  district  in  penal 
times.  The  public  chapel  was 


EASTWOOD,  NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

(Nottingham).     Our  Lady  of  Good 
Counsel. 

In  1889  the  mission  was  started 
by  the  Eev.  Isaac  Hanks,  the  tem 
porary  chapel  being  in  the  Langley 
Mill  Eoad.  The  present  Gothic 
church  in  the  Eastwood  Eoad  was 
erected  shortly  afterwards.  From 
1892  to  1894  the  mission  was  served 
from  the  Seminary,  since  when  the 
rectors  have  been  Eev.  Ar.  Howarth, 
1895  ;  Michael  Kirby,  1903  to  date. 


EBBW  VALE,  MONMOUTHSHIRE 

(Newport).     All  Saints'. 

This  mission  may  be  considered 
as  one  of  the  results  of  the  revival 
of  Catholicism  in  the  country  owing 
to  the  zeal  of  the  Franciscan 
missionaries  in  the  district  half  a 
century  ago.  The  present  school 
chapel  was  opened  October  8,  1865. 

Priests. 
Eev.  E.  J.  Sheehy,  1865  (?). 

„    P.  J.  Capron,  1875. 

„    E.  O'Dwyer,  1880. 

,,    Augustine  Fritz,  1883. 

„    D.  Hallahan,  1903  to  date. 


ECCLES,  LANCS  (Salford).  St. 
Mary. 

In  1875  the  mission  was  served 
from  Barton.  The  church  was 
opened  July  30,  1879.  Catholic 
population  about  1,900  (1906). 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


165 


Priests. 
Rev.  Thos.  Sharrock,  1879. 

„    Francis  Newton,  1894  to  date. 


ECCLESHALL,     STAFFORDSHIRE 

(Birmingham).       SS.     Peter    and 
Paul. 

A  chapel  was  commenced  here  in 
1882,  and  served  from  Swynnerton 
every  other  Sunday.  In  1889  the 
Rev.  Alfred  Hall  was  resident  priest. 
Fr.  Michael  Glancey  was  here  1894. 
In  1898  the  Fathers  of  the  Insti 
tute  of  the  Sacred  Heart  took  over 
the  mission,  which  they  have  since 
served. 


VDQ&AttV*(Birming7un*).  The 

Oratory.      The   Immaculate   Con 
ception,  Hagley  Uoad,  Edgbaston. 

When  the  Fathers  of  the  Oratory 
settled  here  in  1849-50,  it  was  the 
great  wish  of  Dr.  Newman  to  erect 
a  church  after  the  style  of  that  of 
San  Martino  at  Rome.  Owing  to 
lack  of  funds  the  idea  was  not 
carried  out  and  a  smaller  church  was 
built  from  designs  of  M.  Viollet-le- 
Duc.  When  the  jubilee  of  the 
Oratory  was  celebrated  in  1898,  the 
memory  of  the  great  Cardinal's  life 
and  labours  inspired  Catholics  to 
erect  such  a  church  as  he  had  de 
sired  to  see  built.  The  foundation 
stone  of  the  building  was  laid  by 
Bishop  Ilsley  in  1903.  Owing  to 
the  fact  that  the  new  edifice  has  been 
built  over  the  old  one,  which  was  used 
as  long  as  possible  during  the  work 
of  construction,  the  operations  have 
been  considerably  retarded  thereby. 
The  style  of  the  new  building  is 
that  of  the  Church  of  San  Martino 
at  Rome,  and  the  plan  comprises 
sanctuary,  nave,  transepts,  and 
several  chapels,  including  a  line 


one  to  St.  Philip  Neri.  A  barrel 
dome  roof  is  a  notable  feature  of 
the  interior.  Mr.  Doran  Webb  is 
the  architect  of  the  church,  which 
will  probably  cost  over  £30,000. 
During  the  removal  of  the  old 
church  from  the  interior,  the 
congregation  worshipped  at  the 
chapel  of  Ladywood  Hall.  The 
solemn  opening  by  Bishop  Ilsley 
took  place  October  9,  1906,  Arch 
bishop  Bourne  preaching  (Eccles. 
xlix.  13)  to  a  large  and  distinguished 
congregation. 


EDMONTON,  MIDDLESEX  (West 
minster). 

In  the  July  of  1903,  the  Re- 
demptorists  started  the  mission  by 
purchasing  a  site  sufficient  for 
church,  monastery,  and  schools.  An 
iron  building  capable  of  accommo 
dating  about  200  persons  will  soon 
be  superseded  by  the  new  church, 
the  foundation  stone  of  which  was 
laid  by  Archbishop  Bourne  on 
Easter  Monday,  April  24,  1905. 
The  architect  ^is  Mr.  E.  Doran 
Webb,  F.S.A. 


EGREMONT,  CUMBERLAND  (Hex- 
ham  and  Newcastle).     St.  Mary. 

The  mission   was  founded  as  a 
chapel   of  ease   to   the   church   at 
Cleator  (q.v.)  in  1878. 
Priests. 
Rev.  John  Fr.  Kerin,  1879. 

„    Francis  Sumner,  1882. 

„    Joseph  Worden,  1885. 

„    Leonard  Davies,  1891. 

„    Simon  Finch,  1893  to  date. 


EGTON  BRIDGE,  GROSMONT, 
YORKS  (Middlesbrough).  St. 
Hedda. 

Missionary     priests     were     here 


166 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


some  time  before  1679.  Fr.  Nicho 
las  Postgate,  one  of  them,  was 
hanged  at  York.  August  7,  1679, 
'  for  the  Faith.'  His  head  is  pre 
served  at  Ushaw.1  After  this,  Mass 
was  said  in  various  neighbouring 
farmhouses.  Also  at  Ugthorpe 
Old  Hall,  where,  in  one  of  the 
hiding-places,  images  of  SS.  Michael 
and  John  the  Baptist  were  recently 
found.  The  chapel  at  Egton 
Bridge,  built  in  1790  by  Fr.  Hy. 
Greenhalgh,  is  now  used  as  a 
school.  The  church,  opened 
August  21, 1867,  at  a  cost  of  £4,000, 
was  consecrated  July  14,  1885.  It 
may  be  worthy  of  remark  that 
Thomas  Ward,  author  of '  England's 
Reformation,'  wras  a  native  of  the 
parish.  Lord  Herries  and  Major 
Scrope-Danby  were  great  benefac 
tors  of  the  mission.  The  church 
was  redecorated  at  a  cost  of  £700 
in  1877,  the  walls  of  the  interior 
being  beautifully  adorned  with 
paintings  of  saints.  A  new  oak 
pulpit  was  set  up  in  July  1880. 

Priests  since  1824. 
Eev.  J.  Woodcock,  1824. 

N.  Eigby,  1827. 

H.  Greenhalgh,  1835. 

Wm.  Parsons,  1842. 

A.  Macartney,  1844. 

Thos.  Middlehurst,  1857. 

F.  Callebert,  1860  to  date. 


ELLINGHAM,  NORTHUMBER- 
LAND  (Hejcham  and  Newcastle). 

The  preservation  of  the  faith 
here  is  mainly  due  to  the  Hagger- 
ston  family,  whose  ancestral  resi 
dence  is  in  the  district.  Sir  Thos. 
Haggerston,  a  distinguished  royalist 
officer,  was  created  a  baronet  by 
Charles  I.  in  1643.  Fr.  Francis 

1  One  of  the  chief  witnesses  against 
Fr.  Postgate  was  a  person  who  deposed 
to  having  seen  him  baptise  a  child. 


Mannock,  S.J.,  son  of  Sir  F.  Man- 
nock,  Bart.,  was  chaplain  here  in 
1710.  The  mission  registers  date 
from  1775,  when  Fr.  Mathew  Joy, 
S.J.,  was  priest.  He  died  '  much 
respected,'  February  21,  1798,  <zt. 
56.  Bishop  Gibson — referred  to  as 
'  Mr.  Gibson  '  in  the  registers — con 
firmed  twenty-two  persons  here 
July  17,  1783."  The  Easter  com 
munions  at  Ellingham  in  1796  were 
eighty-three  ;  twenty-five  persons 
were  confirmed  there  on  August  25 
of  the  same  year,  and  thirty -two 
in  August  1809.  Fr.  John  For- 
shaw,  probably  a  Benedictine,  was 
priest  at  Ellingham  from  1805  to 
1810.  Between  1810  and  1840  the 
priests  were :  Wm.  Birdsall,  John 
Beaumont,  S.J.,  Thos.  Lawson, 
O.S.B.,  Eic.  Albott,  John  Parsons, 
Edw.  Crane,  Thos.  Parker.  From 
this  date  (1840)  the  priests  are  as 
follows :  Be  vs.  E.  Smith,  1844 ; 
Geo.  Meynell,  1849-57  ;  mission 
vacant,  1858 ;  A.  Macartney,  1862  ; 
Aloysius  Hosten,  1875 ;  Gregory 
Jones,  1879  ;  Joseph  Fawell,  1881 ; 
Edmund  Barnett,  1884 ;  Bernard 
Parley,  1889;  Wm.  Baron,  1891; 
Wm.  Toner,  1900 ;  Henry  Cartmell, 
1903. 


ELTHAM,  NEAR  LONDON,  KENT 
(Southward).  St  Mary. 

Well  Hall,  near  Eltham,  formerly 
belonged  to  John  Eoper,  Esq., 
attorney-general  temp.  Henry  VIII., 
and  son-in-law  of  the  Blessed  Thos. 
More.  In  1616  Christopher  Eoper 
was  raised  to  the  peerage  as  Baron 
Teynham  of  Linstead  and  Well 
Hall,  Kent.  The  old  Well  Hall,  a 
moated  grange,  was  burnt  down 
about  1706.  The  present  edifice, 
built  shortly  after  the  fire,  is  in  the 
Georgian  style  of  architecture.  It 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


167 


is  still  surrounded  on  three  sides  by 
a  moat.  The  property  is  at  present 
leased  by  Herbert  Bland,  Esq. 
The  Teynhara  family,  who  possessed 
Well  Hall  for  upwards  of  two  cen 
turies,  were  Catholics  till  February 
1716,  when  Henry  Roper,  eighth 
Baron  Teynham,  '  conformed  to 
the  Established  Church.'  The  old 
Hall  possessed  a  chapel  where 
Mass  was  occasionally  said,  pro 
bably  down  to  the  time  of  the 
aforesaid  lamentable  apostasy. 
The  present  mission  of  Eltham 
dates  from  1871,  when  the  tempo 
rary  chapel  was  served  from  Wool 
wich.  In  November  1890  a  new 
church  in  the  classical  style  was 
opened  by  Bishop  Butt  of  South- 
wark.  High  Mass,  coram  episcopo, 
was  sung  by  Fr.  Sheehan  of  Black- 
heath,  the  sermon  being  preached 
by  Canon  Murnane,  V.G.  St. 
Mary's  Poor  Law  school  for  little 
boys  and  girls  adjoins  the  church 
and  is  under  the  care  of  the  Sisters 
of  Mercy. 


ELY,  CAMBRIDGESHIRE  (North 
ampton).  St.  Etheldreda. 

In  1859  Fr.  Thomas  McDonald, 
who  had  charge  of  this  mission 
and  also  that  of  Newmarket,  fitted 
up  a  disused  stable  as  a  chapel. 
The  first  resident  priest  was  sent 
to  Ely  in  July  1890.  Even  as  late 
as  this  the  chapel  was  but  a  hired 
room.  A  temporary  chapel  was 
opened  in  July  1891,  when  Mass 
was  sung  by  Fr.  Freeland,  the 
priest  of  the  mission.  Fr.  King  of 
St.  Thomas's  Seminary  preached 
on  the  fall  and  rise  of  the  Church 
in  England.  The  patron  of  the 
mission,  St.  Etheldreda,  lived,  died, 
and  was  buried  at  Ely.  Her  shrine 
'  covered  with  gems  '  was  reported 
to  be  hidden  at  the  time  of  the 


Dissolution  and  is  at  present  (Sep 
tember  1906)  being  diligently 
sought  for  by  the  authorities  of 
Ely  Cathedral. 


ENFIELD,          HERTFORDSHIRE 

(Westminster).     Our  Lady  and  St. 
George. 

Mission  founded  by  the  late  Fr. 
G.  Bampfield,  B.A.,  in  1862.     The 
j    old    chapel    erected    shortly    after 
|    held  sixty  persons  and  was  situated 
i    in   Cecil  Road.     The   next   priests 
\    were  Frs.  Bronsgeest  and  Murphy. 
In    1900   Fr.  A.  O'Gorman,   D.D., 
j    commenced    the    present     church, 
which   was  opened  in   April    1901 
by   Cardinal   Vaughan.       The   old 
chapel  is  now  the  school.     In  Sep 
tember  1905  Fr.  Geo.  Cox  became 
rector. 


EPSOM,    SURREY     (Southward). 
St.  Joseph,  South  Parade. 

In  April  1859  Fr.  J.  B.  Hearn 

opened   the   mission   at   a   cottage 

in   Woodcote   Road,  hired   at  £14 

per   annum.      The    '  church   stuff ' 

1    consisted     of     an     altar,    chalice, 

cross,     candlesticks,     altar     linen, 

I    and     three     chasubles.      In     1860 

|    (February)  Fr.  (Canon)  David,  of 

I    Croydon,  said  Mass  at  Epsom  every 

I    other  Friday,   and   catechised  the 

i    children,    besides     attending    sick 

j    calls.      The    first    resident    priest 

\    was  Fr.  Patrick  Kelly,  1861.     The 

!    church,  '  a  neat  Gothic  structure,' 

'    was  erected  1865-66.    Lord  Russell 

of  Killowen,  Lord  Chief  Justice  of 

England,  was  for  many  years  the 

j    chief  Catholic   resident  at  Epsom, 

!    and  a  generous  patron  of  the  mis- 

!    sion.  Fr.  T.  Morrissey  is  the  present 

|    incumbent  of  the  church. 

N.B.— The  few  Catholics   about 


168 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Epsom  were  attended  during  the 
middle  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century  by  the  Benedictine  iiiis- 
sioners  attached  to  Lady  Petre's 
Chapel  at  Cheam  (q.v.).  At  the 
time  of  the  French  Revolution  the 
priest  at  the  Dominican  College 
at  Bornhem  House,  Carshalton, 
undertook  this  duty.  When  Mr. 
Mylius  established  his  school  in 
the  same  house  after  the  departure 
of  the  Dominicans  (1812)  the  Abbe 
Chabot,  his  chaplain,  continued  to 
attend  to  the  Catholics  at  Epsom 
for  some  years. 


ERDINGTON,      WARWICKSHIRE 

(Birmingham).  St.Thomas's  Priory. 
A  chapel  was  erected  by  'the 
zealous  exertions  of  several  gentle 
men,'  and  opened  Sunday,  April  9, 
1842.  The  new  church  was  con 
secrated  June  11,  1850,  by  Bishop 
Ullathorne,  V.A.  Fr.  D.  Haigh, 
M.A.,  the  incumbent,  defrayed  the 
cost  of  erection.  The  church  is 
well  described  as  '  a  perfect  revival 
of  an  old  English  parish  church.' 
In  1876  some  of  the  Benedictine 
monks,  expelled  from  Beuron,  Ger 
many,  by  the  Kulturkampf  of 
Prince  Bismarck,  were  invited  to 
take  charge  of  the  mission  at 
Erdington,  vacated  by  Fr.  Haigh 
on  account  of  old  age.  For  some 
years  the  monks  lived  '  in  a  small 
and  incommodious  cottage,'  but  in 
July  1880  the  present  monastery 
of  St.  Thomas  was  commenced  '  by 
the  assistance  and  generosity  of 
friends  abroad.' 


ERITH,  KENT  (Southward).  Our 
Lady  of  the  Angels. 

The  Capuchin  Fathers  of  Peck- 
ham  opened  a  church  and  mon 


astery  here  in  1870.     The  place  was 
served  from   Northfleet   1875.     In 
1903  the  new  church  and  monastery 
was  opened  in  the  Carlton  Road, 
the  old  church  of  St.  Fidelis  now 
serving  as  a  chapel  of  ease. 
Father  Guardians. 
Rev.  F.  Louis,  1870. 

F.  Cherubino,  1878. 

F.  Lewis,  1880. 

F.  Pelicetti,  1882. 

Nicholas  Mazzarini,  1889. 

Clement  David,  1892. 

F.  Bernardine,  1900  to  date. 
N.B.— Fr.  H.  Garnet,  S.J.,  who 
was  executed  1606  for  alleged  com 
plicity  in  the  Gunpowder  Plot,  had 
a  house  at  Erith,  but  it  does  not 
appear  that  there  was  any  mission 
in  the  town. 


ERRWOOD       HALL,       BUXTON, 
CHESHIRE  (Shrewsbury). 

The  domestic  chapel  of  the  Grim- 
shawe  family,  opened  in  October 
1851,  serves  the  mission.     In  the 
sacristy  are  preserved  many  antique 
vestments  of  great   beauty,  while 
the  reliquary  contains  a  portion  of 
the  Crown  of  Thorns. 
Priests. 
Rev.  H.  Alcock,  1851. 

„    E.  W.  Nightingale,  1851. 

„    R.  Maurice,  1852. 

„    D.  Organ,  1852. 

„    B.  O'Donnell    and    E.    Mag- 

greevy,  1852-59. 
„    J.  Quinn,  1859. 

(Served  from  Gorton,  1863-69). 
„    C.  Bell,  1869. 
„    H.  Wood,  1877. 
„    W.  McAuliffe,  1877. 
„    M.  Gerin,  1889. 
„    J.  Berard,  1896. 
„    H.  Welch,  1890. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


169 


ESH  LAUDE,  DURHAM  (HexJiam 

and  Newcastle).     Sfc.  Michael. 

According  to  the  registers  pre 
served  at  the  presbytery,  this  mis 
sion  'was  founded  in  1790.'  It  was 
served  from  1795  (June)  till  May 
1827  by  Fr.  John  Yates,  V.G.  to 
Bishop  Smith,  V.A.  Fr.  Yates 
died  June  1,  1827,  and  was  buried 
at  Ushaw,  his  place  at  Esh  being 
taken  by  Fr.  W.  Fletcher  of  the 
same  college.  Fr.  Boger  Glass- 
brook  succeeded  in  1839.  The  pre 
sent  chapel  of  '  massive  stone  and 
slate '  was  erected  in  1832,  on  a 
site  presented  by  Sir  Edward 
Smythe,  Bart.,  of  Acton  Burnell. 
This  ancient  Catholic  family  has 
an  ancestral  residence  at  Esh 
Laude.  The  old  chapel  was  built 
about  1799.  It  was  served  for  some 
time  by  Fr.  Ashmell,  who  lived  to 
be  105.  This  excellent  priest,  during 
his  missionary  labours  in  the  north 
of  England  about  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century, used  to  go  about 
disguised  as  a  farmer  in  'leather 
gaiters,  grey  coat,  check  cloak,  and 
slouched  hat.'  In  recent  times  the 
priests  at  Esh  have  been  Bevs. 
Wm.  Canon  Thompson,  1841-80; 
Samuel  Harris,  1880;  Matthew 
Culley,  1902. 


ETJXTON,  near  CHORLEY,  LANCS 

(Liverpool).     St.  Mary. 

Euxton  is  one  of  the  many  places 
in  Lancashire  where  the  Faith  has 
survived  the  long  ordeal  of  the 
penal  times,  thanks  in  great  mea 
sure  to  the  fostering  care  of  the 
Andertons  of  Euxton  and  the  Moly- 
neuxes  of  Sefton.  In  1524  James 
Anderton,  of  Euxton,  built  a  chan- 
trey  in  the  parish  and  established 
a  priest  there  '  to  pray  for  himself 
and  his  wife.'  The  chapel  wherein 
the  chantrcy  was  placed  was  built 


eleven  years  earlier  by  Sir  W.  Moly- 
neux,  and  his  descendant  Lord 
Molyneux  retained  possession  of  it 
as  late  as  1687.  In  1718  his  son 
gave  up  the  chapel,  and  then  one 
was  constructed  at  Euxton  Hall 
'  in  a  room  open  to  the  public.'  In 
the  preceding  century  Sir  Hugh 
Anderton,  of  Euxton,  a  devoted 
Boyalist,  had  afforded  hospitality 
to  Charles  II.  on  his  march  to  Wor 
cester.  In  the'  Mercurius  Politicus  ' 
for  August  16  of  that  year,  Sir  Hugh 
is  described  as  'a  bloody  Papist.' 
In  1715  another  branch  of  the 
Andertons,  theAndertons  of  Lostock, 
'  lost  a  good  estate  for  being  with 
the  rebels  but  one  day.'  The 
'rebels,'  of  course,  being  Lord 
Derwentwater,  Mr.  Foster,  Lord 
Carnwath,  &c.,  in  arms  for 
James  III.  The  old  Catholic 
chapel  at  Euxton  was  enlarged  at 
different  times  till  1817,  when  a 
new  one  was  built.  The  domestic 
oratory  at  the  Hall  was  bought 
back  by  Colonel  Anderton,  the 
money  being  left  to  accumulate  in 
the  hands  of  the  trustees  till  such 
time  as  a  new  chapel  should  be 
required.  This  came  about  in  1864, 
when  the  first  stone  of  the  present 
church  was  solemnly  laid  on  a  site 
given  by  Geo.  Garstang,  Esq.  Cap 
tain  Anderton  of  Euxton  Hall  con 
tributed  £1,000.  The  building  was 
opened  October  29,  1865,  by  Bishop 
Goss,  assisted  by  Bishop  Grant  of 
Southwark.  The  accommodation  is 
for  about  4,000.  The  total  cost  was 
£3,000.  The  style  of  the  building 
is  Early  Decorated  Gothic. 

Priests. 
Bev.  Thos.  Townley,  1718  (?). 

Hon.  W.  Molyneux,  1734. 

Thos.  Anderton,  1735. 

Cuthbert  Haydock,  1741. 

Jn.  White,  1750  (?). 

Bobt.  Swarbrick,  1778. 

Jn.  Bell,  1815. 


170 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


Rev.  Higginson,  1817. 
„    R.  Gillow,  1846. 
„    John  Canon  Worthy,  1851, 
„    Francis  Soden,  1893. 
„    Thos.  Keely,  1896  to  date. 


EVERINGHAM,  YORKSHIRE 

(Middlesbrough}.     St.  Mary. 

The  chapel  is  described  as  founded 
in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.  The 
Constable  family  of  Everingham 
long  kept  the  Faith  alive  in  these 
parts,  and  it  is  satisfactory  to  note 
that  the  estate  has  always  been  in 
Catholic  hands.  The  property 
passed  to  the  family  of  the  pre 
sent  Lord  Herries  by  the  marriage 
about  1780  of  Winifrid  Maxwell — 
granddaughter  of  the  Jacobite  Lord 
Nithsdale — with  Wm.  Haggerston 
Constable,  Esq.,  of  Everingham. 
The  register  of  baptisms  dates  from 
1771,  with  the  baptism  of  John 
Dolman.  The  present  fine  church 
was  erected  by  W.  Constable  Max 
well,  Esq.,  who  in  1858  succeeded 
to  the  Herries  peerage.  The  style 
of  the  building — opened  July  10, 
1889 — is  cruciform,  after  the  plan 
of  the  Maison  Dieu  at  Nismes. 
Size  70  ft.  by  30  ft. ;  interior  deco 
rated  by  fluted  Corinthian  columns, 
and  altar  of  rich  Italian  marbles. 

Priests  at  Everingham. 
Rev.  John  Bennet,  here  1771. 

The  next  priests  were  Frs.  T. 
Gurnall,  Edward    Clarkson, 
and  S.  Hodgson  (1814). 
Rev.  Matthew  Newsham,  1824. 
„    J.  Brown,  1844. 
„    Richard  Browne,  1845. 

Matthew  Newsham,  1848. 

Robt.  Cook,  1849. 

Joseph  Arnoux,  1852. 

Henry  Walker,  1858. 

Edward  Riddell,  1862. 

Wm.  Gordon,  1864. 

Thos.  Knight,  S.J.,  1874. , 


Rev.  Joseph  Dodds,  1882. 
Chas.  Donovan,  1885. 
Wm.  McNaughton,  1888. 
Jn.  Murphy,  1892. 
Jn.  Willemse,  1895. 
Cornelius    English,    1900    to 
date. 


EVERTON,       LIVERPOOL.         St. 

Edward's  College. 

This  well-known  seat  of  learning 
was  established  in  1842  under  the 
auspices  of  Bishop  Brown,  V.A. 
It  was  opened  for  students,  Janu 
ary  16,  1843.  Though  mainly 
intended  for  those  desirous  of  pur 
suing  '  commerce  or  any  of  the 
learned  secular  professions,'  it  had 
also  a  course  of  studies  for  the 
ecclesiastical  state.  Alexander 
Goss,  D.D.,  afterwards  second 
Bishop  of  Liverpool,  was  vice- 
president,  and  it  was  while  spend 
ing  the  vacation  with  some  of  the 
students  at  Ardrishaig,  Argyllshire, 
that  he  received  news  of  his  appoint 
ment  as  cqadjutor  to  Bishop  Brown 
(July  1856).  The  college  was, 
perhaps,  the  first  Catholic  one  in 
England  which  allowed  pupils  to 
go  home  at  Christmas.  It  was 
early  affiliated  to  the  London  Uni 
versity,  and  many  of  its  students 
have  since  taken  high  places  in 
the  arts  and  science  examinations. 
From  about  1885  to  1896  the 
college  was  an  episcopal  one,  pre 
sumably  for  the  sole  education  of 
Church  students. 

Presidents. 
Rev.    Mgr.    John    Canon    Fisher, 

D.D.,  1843. 

„    Mgr.  Canon  Carr,  V.G.,  1885. 
„    Evan    Canon     Banks,    B.A., 
1895  to  date. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


171 


EVESHAM,      WORCESTERSHIRE 

(Birmingham). 

This  place  was  among  the  number 
served  by  the  Jesuit  Fathers  of 
St.  George,  Worcester,  1633  et  seq. 
Fr.  Oldcorne  is  said  to  have  had  a 
conference  with  Fr.  Garnet,  at 
Evesham,  a  short  time  before  the 
Gunpowder  Plot.  Fr.  Thomas 
Roper,  S.J.,  son  of  the  fourth  Lord 
Teynham,  was  here  1693-1700. 
-After  this,  Evesham  disappears  as 
a  mission  till  1887-88,  when  the 
Passionists  started  a  foundation 
here  under  Fr.  Alban  Cowley.  The 
chapel,  an  iron  one,  was  served 
from  Broadway,  1896,  and  by  Fr. 
Robert  Patten,  1897  to  date.  Schools 
erected  1900.  The  iron  church 
was  removed  from  Magpie  Lane 
to  the  High  Street  the  same  year. 
Presbytery  built  1900. 

N.B.— In  1865  the  late  Duke 
d'Aumale  opened  his  private 
oratory  at  Wood  Norton  to  the 
public,  and  this  chapel  was  the 
only  Catholic  one  in  the  dis 
trict  until  the  re-establishment  of 
the  Evesham  mission  by  the 
Passionists. 


EXETER,  DEVON  (Plymouth). 
The  Sacred  Heart. 

The  Exeter  mission  dates  from 
1745,  when  Mass  was  said  in  Mr. 
Flashman's  house,  known  as  King 
John's  Tavern,  in  South  Street. 
In  the  reign  of  James  II.  a  chapel 
had  been  opened  in  the  city,  but  it 
was  destroyed  by  an  Orange  mob 
at  the  Revolution.  Fr.  Richard 
N orris  was  priest  at  the  time,  and 
he  continued  to  act  as  such  down 
to  1717.  After  this  the  mission 
was  served  by  different  priests, 
as  follows  : — Revs.  J.  Beaumont, 
O.S.F.  (1733  ?),  E.  Williams  (1776), 


E.  Hussey,  O.S.B.  (d.  September  25, 
1785),  -  Parry,  and  -  -  Rigby 
(1790?),  W.  Sutton  (d.  1800).  Most 
of  these  priests  seem  to  have  only 
occasionally  ministered  at  Exeter, 
for  about  1762  the  Jesuits  offered 
to  serve  the  mission,  and  their  ser 
vices  were  accepted  by  Bishop 
Walmesley,  V.A.,  of  the  Western 
District.  Fr.  W.  Gilibrand  was 
here  from  1762-67.  He  lived  with 
the  Truscot  family.  Fr.  J.  Edis- 
ford,  who  came  in  1772,  died  of 
gaol  fever  caught  while  attending 
the  prisoners  in  the  old  county 
gaol  (November  20,  1789).  The 
old  chapel,  erected  in  1790,  in  the 
Mint,  was  dedicated  to  St.  Nicholas. 
It  was  built  by  the  Jesuits  on  the 
site  of  the  Old  Priory  of  St.  Nicholas, 
and  was  opened  in  1792  and  en 
larged  in  the  summer  of  1859  by 
Fr.  A.  Eccles,  S.J.  This  zealous 
missioner  also  built  the  Catholic 
schools.  Under  him  the  chapel 
was  enriched  with  a  fine  pulpit,  an 
altar  of  Caen  stone,  and  a  Norman 
altar  screen.  The  Rev.  Geo.  Oliver, 
D.D.,  the  distinguished  antiquary, 
was  appointed  to  the  Exeter  mission 
in  1807.  Most  of  his  learned  works 
and  'Collectanea'  were  composed 
here.  He  died  March  23,  1862, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Fr.  James 
Eccles,  S.J.  In  December  1871, 
the  mission  was  taken  over  by  the 
Bishop  of  Plymouth,  who  appointed 
Fr.  G.  Hobson  to  Exeter.  The  first 
stone  of  the  present  church  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  was  laid,  Wednesday, 
March  20,  1883.  The  church  is  in 
the  thirteenth  century  Gothic  style, 
from  designs  by  C.  Ware,  Esq.,  of 
Exeter,  and  L.  Stokes,  Esq.,  of 
London.  The  total  cost  was  about 
£10,000.  The  accommodation  is 
for  600.  An  old  fifteenth  century 
window  lights  the  staircase  to  the 
choir.  The  reredos  contains  statues 
of  the  Apostles,  and  is  otherwise 


172 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


richly  carved.  The  '  stately  church  ' 
was  opened  Tuesday,  November  18, 
1884,  '  with  all  the  ceremonial  and 
ritual  which  form  the  glory  of 
the  Church.'  Bishops  Vaughan, 
Errington,  and  Clifford  took  part 
in  the  imposing  function. 


EXMOUTH,  DEVON  (Plymouth). 
Mission  established  1888,  about 
which  time  the  church  — a  Gothic 
iron  structure  for  200  persons — was 
erected.  The  congregation  is  about 
130.  The  church  was  enlarged  in 
April  1905. 

Priests. 
Very   Rev.    Mgr.   John    Grainger, 

1888. 

Rev.    Bernard    Palmer,    1900    to 
date. 


EXTON,  RUTLAND  (Nottingham). 
St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury. 

The  thirteenth  century  Gothic 
church  (60  ft.  x  20  ft.)  was  com 
menced  December  29,  1867,  and 
opened  1868,  by  the  Bishop  of  Not 
tingham.  C.  A.  Buckler  was  the 
architect.  In  1870,  a  school  was  in 
existence  and  reported  to  be  '  fairly 
attended.'  The  church  at  Exton  was 
the  first  Catholic  place  of  worship 
opened  in  Rutland  since  the  Refor 
mation. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Philip  Munro. 

Charles  Gey,  1877. 

John  Burns,  1879. 

E.  Van  Dale,  1882. 

J.  Thompson,  1885. 

Francis  Busch,  1890  to  date. 


173 


P 


FAILSWORTH,  LANCS  (Salford). 
The  Immaculate  Conception. 

A  portion  of  the  present  church 
was  opened  October  1865.  A  new 
sanctuary  was  opened  1892,  at  a 
cost  of  £1,240.  The  style  of  the 
building  is  decorated  Gothic.  The 
mission  started  by  the  erection  of 
a  temporary  chapel  1851. 

Priests. 
Rev.  W.  Daly,  1851. 

„    John  Hennessey,  1890. 

„    John  Canon  Boulaye,  1902. 

„    John  Morris,  1904. 


FAIRFORD,    GLOUCESTERSHIRE 

(Clifton}.     St.  Thomas  of  Canter 
bury. 

In  1823  Fr.  Glassbrook  used  to 
say  Mass  here,  and  it  is  said  that 
he  had  a  pension  of  £40  per 
annum  from  Lord  de  Mauley.  The 
church  was  opened  in  October  1845. 
The  ceremony  was  performed  by 
Fr.  J.  Mitchell,  of  Chipping  Norton, 
on  behalf  of  the  Y.A.  Fr.  P. 
O'Farrell  preached  at  the  High 
Mass,  and  Dr.  Rock  in  the  evening. 

Priests  since  1845. 
Rev.  J.  Mitchell. 

W.  Goodwin,  1851. 

E.  A.  Glassbrook,  1853. 

Peter  Seddon,  here  in  1864. 

John  Dickenson,  1867. 

Jas.  Dawson,  here  in  1872. 


Rev.  Francis  Coopman,  1877. 

„    James  Lonergan,  here  in  1891. 

,,    George  Canon  Crook,  1892. 
Very  Rev.  Mgr.  E.  English,  D.D., 
1896  to  date. 


FAKENHAM,  NORFOLK    (North- 
amptori).     St.  Anthony  of  Padua. 

Mission  founded  1905.     The  pre 
sent  place  of  worship  is  a  garret  in 
the  Hempton  Road. 
Priest. 
Fr.  Gray. 


FALMOUTH,  CORNWALL  (Ply- 
mouth}.  St.  Mary. 

This  mission  owes  its  origin  to 
Rowland  Conyers,  Esq.,  who  died 
April  28,  1803.  A  room  was  fitted 
up  and  opened  as  a  chapel  in  Janu 
ary  1805.  A  larger  chapel  was 
opened  October  24,  1821,  through 
the  exertions  of  the  Abbe  Grezille, 
who  collected  £500  towards  the 
purpose  from  the  Royal  Family  of 
France.  The  Redemptorists  were 
in  charge  of  the  mission  from  1843 
to  1845,  when  they  left  for  Clap- 
ham.  Mr.  Andrews,  a  resident  in 
the  town  at  this  time,  was  a  great 
benefactor  to  the  mission.  The 
old  chapel  was  superseded  by  the 
present  Gothic  structure  opened 
1869. 


174 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Priests. 
Rev.  Ignatius     Casemore,    O.S.F., 

1803. 

Abbe  Grezille,  1805. 
Thaddeus  O'Meally,  1822. 
Peter  Hartley,  1828. 
Kobt.  Gates,  1827. 
Eobt.  Platt,  1832. 
M.  O'Connor,  1831. 
Robt.  Platt,  1832. 
Fredk.  Held,  C.SS.R.,  1843. 
Michael  Carroll,  1845. 
Jn.  Ryan,  1846. 
Tiberius  Soderini,  1852. 
James  Carey,  1854. 
Win.  Laffan,  1857. 
Denys  Byrne,  1863. 
Wm.  Cassey,  1866. 
James  Burns,  1903  to  date. 


FAREHAM,  HANTS  (Ports 
mouth). 

The  mission  dates  from  1873, 
when  a  temporary  chapel  was 
erected  and  placed  under  the 
charge  of  Fr.  T.  Foran,  Acting 
Chaplain  to  the  Forces.  The  pre 
sent  church,  in  the  Decorated 
style,  was  opened  by  Bishop 
Danell,  of  Southwark— in  which 
diocese  Fareham  then  lay — Sep 
tember  1878.  Mr.  J.  Crawley  was 
the  architect,  the  accommodation 
of  the  church  being  for  about  300. 

Recent  Hectors. 
Rev.  T.  Doyle,  1885. 

„    E.    Canon    Collins,    1888    to 
date. 


FARM  STREET,  BERKELEY 
SQUARE,  LONDON,  W.  (West 
minster).  The  Immaculate  Con 
ception. 

The  foundation-stone  was  laid  on 
the  Feast  of  St.  Ignatius  Loyola, 
July  31,  1844,  by  Fr.  Randall 


Lythgoe,  S.J.,  in  the  place  of 
I  Bishop  Griffiths,  V.A.L.D.,  and  the 
building  was  opened  in  1845,  For 
some  years  (1845-49)  the  clergy 
residence  was  at  25  Bolton  Street, 
Piccadilly.  Mention  is  first  made 
of  Farm  Street  Church  in  the 
'  Catholic  Directory '  in  1850.  The 
style  of  the  building  is  '  Gothic  of 
the  Third  Period,'  from  the  design 
of  Scholes.  Since  the  opening  of 
the  church  two  handsome  aisles 
have  been  added,  one  of  them  as  re 
cently  as  1904-5.  The  east  window 
is  by  Wailes  and  the  high  altar  by 
A.  W.  Pugin.  The  several  side 
altars  are  dedicated  to  SS.  Ignatius, 
Francis  Xavier,and  other  canonised 
members  of  the  Society  of  Jesus, 
the  fathers  of  which  have  charge 
of  the  church. 


FARNBOROUGH,    HANTS  (Ports- 

I    mouth).     St.  Michael's  Priory. 

On  her  return  from  Zululand  in 
May  1881,  where  she  had  been  to 
visit  the  scene  of  the  death  of 

I    her  son,  the  Prince  Imperial,  the 

I  Empress  Eugenie  took  up  her  resi 
dence  at  Farnborough  Hill.  Here 
Her  Majesty  built  the  monastery 
and  church.  On  Monday,  Janu 
ary  8,  1888,  the  bodies  of  Napo- 

i  leon  III.  and  the  Prince  Imperial 
were  removed  from  Chislehurst^.v.) 
and  deposited  in  the  crypt  of  the 
newly  erected  church.  The  style  of 
this  building  is  Flamboyant  Gothic. 
The  altar  and  sanctuary  are  of 
richly  inlaid  marbles,  many  of  the 
varieties  used  being  from  Corsica, 
the  cradle  of  the  Napoleonic  race. 
In  the  sacristy  are  kept  some 
splendid  copes  and  chasubles  made 
from  the  Coronation  robes  of  the 
Empress,  who  has  richly  endowed 
the  church  and  adjoining  mon 
astery.  A  staircase  leads  from  the 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


175 


Gospel  side  of  the  sanctuary  to  the 
crypt — a  fine  underground  chapel, 
with  a  handsome  marble  altar  and 
richly  embossed  bronze  fittings. 
The  Imperial  remains  repose  in 
handsome  red  granite  sarcophagi, 
the  gift  of  Queen  Victoria.  That 
of  the  Emperor  bears  the  inscrip 
tion  :  '  Napoleon  III.  E.I.P.'  On 
the  one  containing  the  remains  of 
the  Prince  Imperial  appear  the 
words  :  '  Napoleon  Eugene  Louis 
Jean  Joseph,  Prince  Imperial,  ne  a 
Paris  16  Mars  1856;  mort  en  soldat 
a  Itrotrotiozy  (Afrique  Australe) 
1  Juin  1879.  E.I.P.'  Mural 
tablets,  wreaths,  and  funereal  ban 
ners  adorn  the  chapel.  The  church 
and  monastery  of  St.  Michael  were 
first  placed  under  the  care  of  the 
Premonstratensian  Canons  from 
St.  Michael's,  Frigolet  (France). 
These  were  supplanted  a  few  years 
ago  by  the  Benedictines  of  Solesmes, 
who  divide  their  time  between  the 
zealous  discharge  of  their  religious 
and  liturgical  duties  and  the  com 
position  of  learned  works,  thus  ably 
maintaining  in  their  English  home 
the  best  traditions  of  the  renowned 
Order  of  St.  Benedict. 


FARNHAM,  SURREY  (South 
ward}.  St.  Polycarp's,  Park  Lane, 
Farnham. 

The  mission  was  opened  on  the 
Feast  of  St.  Polycarp  (January  26), 
1890.  Among  the  congregation 
were  Lady  Wood  and  Capt.  Wood, 
wife  and  son  of  Field-Marshal  Sir 
Evelyn  Wood.  Bishop  Butt,  of 
Southwark,  made  his  first  visita 
tion  of  Farnham  in  September 
1890.  Fine  schools  have  been  since 
erected  by  Fr.  Gerin,  the  first  priest 
of  the  mission,  who  is  making  great 
efforts  to  provide  his  increasing 
congregation  with  a  church. 


FARNWORTH,  LANCS  (Salford). 
St.  Gregory's. 

A  mission  was  started  here  in 
June  1852,  by  Fr.  W.  Taylor,  who 
remained  till  January  1861.  The 
Sisters  of  the  Most  Holy  Cross 
took  over  the  teaching  of  the 
schools  in  1871.  The  present 
church  was  commenced  August  16, 
1873,  the  foundation-stone  being 
laid  by  Bishop  (afterwards  Car 
dinal)  Vaughan.  The  Eev.  F. 
Schneider,  a  German  priest  of 
Treves,  who  had  been  expelled  by 
the  May  Laws,  was  priest  here  in 
1876.  A  new  organ  by  Benson 
was  installed  1901-2. 


FAVERSHAM,  KENT  (South- 
war  Tt).  Our  Lady  of  Compassion 
and  St.  Theodore. 

The  district  was  formerly  served 

by  the  chapel   at   Linsted   Lodge, 

the  residence  of  the  Lords  Teyn- 

ham.      The    family    (Eoper)    was 

\    descended  from  Thos.  Eoper,  son- 

!    in-law    of     the     Blessed    Thomas 

More,  and  remained  Catholic  till 

about    the   end  of   the    eighteenth 

j    century.     The  last  Catholic  holder 

of  the  title  appears  to  have  been 

Henry,  10th   Baron,  who  died   in 

i    1781,  though  in  1831  the  '  People's 

>    Book '    erroneously  asserted    that 

i    the    Lord    Teynham   of    the    day 

(Henry,  15th  Baron)  was  a  Catho- 

j   lie.     Fr.  Chas.  Forrester,  S.J.,  was 

chaplain  here  1767-75.     His  calm 

expostulation   with  the  local   pro- 

testant   clergyman,   the   Eev.    Mr. 

!    Fox,  not  only  disarmed  the  hostile 

opposition  of  that  gentleman,  but 

even  led  to  him  sending  his  two 

sons     to     Douai     College !       (See 

Oliver's 'Collections,' p.  306.)     The 

present  mission  of  Faversham  was 

founded  in  1899,  and  is  served  by 

the  Oblates  of  St.  Francis  of  Sales. 


176 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


The  temporary  chapel  is  at  Plan 
tation  House.  The  Kev.  F.  Ma- 
honey  was  the  first  rector.  Confir 
mation  was  administered  here  for 
the  first  time  since  the  Reformation 
by  a  Catholic  bishop,  August  26, 
1906.  Great  efforts  are  being  made 
to  erect  a  permanent  church. 

Priests. 
Rev.  F.  Mahoney. 

„    L.  Dubruyer,  1904  to  date. 

Note.  —  Linsted  Lodge  was 
served  by  the  Jesuits  at  an  early 
date.  In  1688  an  Orange  mob 
threatened  the  mansion  and  fear 
fully  ill-used  the  priest,  Fr.  Thos. 
Kingslcy,  alias  de  Bois,  who  nar 
rowly  escaped  death.  Concerning 
the  'first  apostasy  of  the  family, 
that  of  Henry,  8th  Lord  Teynham, 
Fr.  Jn.  Clare,  S.J.,  thus  wrote, 
March  3,  1715  :  '  Our  chief  families 
fall  off;  Lord  Teynham,  Sir  Joseph 
Shelley,  Mr.  Cotton,  and  two  or 
three  more  are  talked  of,'  &c. 


FELIXSTOWE,  SUFFOLK  (North 
ampton}.  St.  Felix. 

The  locality  having  grown  from 
a  fishing  village  to  '  a  smart  water 
ing-place,'  it  was  found  necessary 
to  establish  a  mission  in  the  town 
in  July  1899.  The  chapel  is  in  the 
Gainsborough  Road.  In  pre-Refor- 
mation  times  the  church  pertained 
to  the  Benedictines  of  Rochester. 

Rev.  Fr.  W.  Cooper,  1899. 


FELLING,    DURHAM     (Hexliam 

and  Newcastle).     St.  Patrick. 

A  chapel  was  opened  at  Felling, 
January  25,    1841.     At  that  time 


there  were  many  Catholics  in  the 
district,  mostly  employed  in  the 
chemical  works  of  Messrs.  Lee, 
Patterson  &  Co.  This  firm  gener 
ously  made  '  a  handsome  annual 
allowance '  to  the  priest  of  St. 
Patrick's  Chapel.  In  1850  the 
Catholic  children  who  attended 
'  the  mixed  school '  at  Friars  Goose 
in  the  vicinity  were  taught  their 
catechism  by  the  mistress  who  was 
a  Catholic.  Separate  Catholic 
schools  were  not  erected  till  later. 
At  the  retreat  given  by  the  Re- 
demptorists  in  September-October 
1859,  1,400  persons  received  Holy 
Communion.  In  March  1860  Fr. 
Kelly,  priest  of  the  Felling  mission, 
was  committed  to  prison  by  Mr. 
Justice  Hill  for  contempt  of  court 
in  refusing  at  the  Durham  assizes 
to  answer  certain  questions  as  to  a 
fact  known  under  the  seal  of  con 
fession.  He  was,  however,  soon 
liberated,  the  conduct  of  the  learned 
judge  being  made  the  subject  for 
some  severe  comments  in  the  gene 
ral  press.  The  old  presbytery  was 
burnt  January  1877,  but  afterwards 
rebuilt  on  an  enlarged  scale.  The 
present  fine  Gothic  church  was 
erected  1893-94,  during  the  rectorate 
of  Fr.  J.  Murphy,  D.D. 

N.B. — The  Brandlings '  an  ancient 
Catholic  family  of  great  possessions ' 
acquired  Felling  from  the  Places, 
temp.  Henry  VIII.  In  1729  Ralph 
Brandling,  Esq.,  married  Eleanor 
Ogle,  a  protestant,  and  after  his 
death  in  1749  she  brought  up  their 
only  son,  Charles,  in  her  own  re 
ligion.  The  family  was  thus  lost 
to  the  Faith,  and  the  chapel  which 
had  hitherto  served  the  mission 
was  closed. 

Priests  of  the  present  Mission. 
Rev.  Fr.  J.  Kelly,  1847. 

„    Fr.  T.  Carroll,  1882. 

„    Fr.  J.  Murphy,  D.D.,  1892  to 
date. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


177 


FELTON,        NORTHUMBERLAND 

(Hexliam     and     Newcastle}.       St. 
Mary. 

Felton  Castle  has  been  the  seat 
of  the  Riddell  family  since  about 
1720,  and  Mass  was  said  here 
throughout  the  penal  times.  The 
registers  date  from  1792.  The  do 
mestic  chapel  was  served  occasion 
ally  by  the  Jesuits,  but  no  particu 
lars  of  their  ministrations  are 
forthcoming.  The  present  church 
for  220  persons,  opened  June  16, 
1857,  is  situated  on  the  west  side 
of  the  mansion,  and  is  well  described 
as  'a  beautiful  specimen  of  the 
revival  of  ancient  ecclesiastical 
architecture.'  Mr.  Gilbert  Blount 
was  the  architect. 

Priests  since  1820. 
Rev.  J.  Robinson ;  J.  Orrell,  1828. 

J.  B.  Swale,  1846. 

W.  A.  Brindle,  1847. 

S.  Day,  1850. 

Charles         Smith,        O.S.B., 
1870  (?). 

Peter  Dorn,  1884. 

Adam  Wilkinson,  1888. 

M.  P.  Horgan,  1895. 

Edmund   J.    Barnet,  1897  to 
date. 


FERNYHALGH,         LANCASHIRE 

(Liverpool).     St.  Mary. 

Called  also  Ladywell  and  in  old 
documents  Sanctue  Mariae  ad  Fon- 
tem.  The  Lady  Chapel  close  by 
the  holy  well  dates  from  1348, 
being  erected  by  a  merchant  in 
thanksgiving  for  deliverance  from 
shipwreck.  The  place  has  always 
been  a  stronghold  of  Catholicity 
even  during  the  worst  period  of 
the  penal  laws.  A  school  was 
kept  here  early  in  the  eighteenth 
century  by  one  '  Dame  Alice.'  She 
was  originally  a  protestant,  but  by 
reading  books  of  controversy  and 


apologetics  was  led  to  embrace  the 
Catholic   faith,      On   being   turned 
adrift  by  her  father,  she  opened  a 
Catholic  school.   Her  pupils  boarded 
at  the  various  cottages  in  the  dis 
trict.     She    took    the   children    to 
chapel  every  day,  and  on  the  way 
the  party  always  recited  a  Pater, 
Ave,  and  Gloria  at  the  *  Lady  well.' 
Her   school    became   very  famous 
locally,  so  that  even  many  protes- 
tants   entrusted   their   children   to 
her    for    their    education.      Dame 
Alice   Harrison   retired  to  end  her 
days  with  the  Gerards  of  Garswood, 
where  she   died   about    1760.      In 
1684-85  a  new  chapel    or   '  house 
of  prayer '  was  built  by  Mr.  Cuth- 
bert  Hesketh,  of  ^Vhite  Hill,  Goos- 
nargh.     His    cousin,    Fr.    Charles 
Tootell,  was  priest  at   Fernyhalgh 
and  Vicar- General   of    Lancashire 
and  Cumberland  in  1719.     During 
the  Jacobite  troubles  of  1715,  Fr. 
Tootell  was  sought  for  by  the  priest- 
hunters  and  for  days  lay  concealed 
in  a  bam.    He  was  '  much  troubled' 
down  to  1719,  when  the  persecution 
ceased.      Later,   he   records   thus : 
'  We  began  to  pray  at  Our  Lady's 
well    privately,    August    5,     1723, 
and    publicly,    August    15    in    the 
same   year.'      He   died    at   Ferny 
halgh,   November    13,    1727,   leav 
ing  behind  him  a  curious  didactic 
work     entitled      '  The      Layman's 
Ritual  for    the  Instruction  of  his 
Flock.'       Fr.    Melling,    who    suc 
ceeded,  died  April  17,  1733.     His 
successor  was    Fr.   Oliver   Tootell, 
nephew  of  Fr.  C.  Tootell.     When 
Prince  Charles  Edward  Stuart  and 
the    Highlanders     retreated    from 
Derby  in  December  1745,  a  protes 
tant    mob   burned   the    chapel    at 
Fernyhalgh    to    the    ground.     An 
account  of  this  act  of  destruction 
has  been  left  by  Fr.  Oliver  Tootell. 
The    chapel   was   subsequently  re 
built.     In  1793  a  larger  chapel  was 

N 


178 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


erected  by  Fr.  Anthony  Lund,  one 
of  the  Douai  professors.  The  con 
secration  took  place  August  12  of 
the  same  year.  Another  restora 
tion  and  re-opening  took  place  in 
August  1847.  Mr.  Anderton,  of 
Haighton,  gave  a  handsome  lamp 
in  honour  of  the  event. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Eobt.  Bannister,  1770. 

A.  Lund,  1773. 

E.  Blacoe,  1811. 

R.  Gillow,  1823. 

Mgr.  Cookson,  1864. 

(Administered,  1878-80.) 

W.  Gordon,  1880. 

Daniel  O'Hare,  1888. 
„    John  O'Reilly,  1893  to  date. 


FILEY,  NORTH  RIDING,  YORKS 

(Middlesbrough). 

The  Sisters  of  Charity  of  Notre 
Dame  acquired  Clarence  House  as 
a  convent  in  1905,  and  till  the  open 
ing  of  the  present  handsome  church 
on  May  10,  1906,  by  the  Bishop 
of  Middlesbrough,  the  temporary 
chapel  of  the  community  was  open 
to  the  public.  The  style  of  the 
church  is  Roman  of  the  first  cen 
tury,  the  plan  comprising  nave  and 
sanctuary ;  accommodation  for 
about  250  persons.  The  altar  is 
supported  by  a  single  thick  pillar. 
A  fine  bell  has  been  presented  by 
Mr.  Wake,  of  Sheffield.  A.  Pretia, 
Esq.,  was  the  architect.  Fr.  E. 
Roulin,  O.S.B.,  is  the  first  and 
present  rector  of  the  mission. 


FINCHLEY    EAST,     MIDDLESEX 

(Westminster).     St.  Mary. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth 
century  Mr.  William  Mawhood,  a 
wealthy  Catholic  gentleman  and 
army  contractor,  had  his  residence 


at  Finchley,  and  in  his  house  Bishop 
j  Challoner  stayed  during  the  Gordon 
riots,  June  1-6,  1780.  Two  of  Mr. 
Mawhood's  sons  were  at  the  Old 
Hall  Green  Academy  (St.  Edmund's 
College)  in  1769.  It  is  probable 
that  this  family  had  a  chapel  in 
their  house.  From  1796,  the 
nearest  mission  was  St.  Mary's, 
Holly  Place,  Hampstead,  founded 
by  the  Abbe  J.  Morel  (see  Hamp 
stead).  After  the  establishment  of 
St.  Joseph's  Retreat,  Highgate,  by 
the  Passionist  Fathers,  in  June 
1858,  the  few  Catholics  in  and 
around  Finchley  went  there  to 
Mass.  In  1864,  the  nuns  of  the 
Good  Shepherd  Order  at  Hammer 
smith  opened  a  branch  convent  at 
East  End,  Finchley,  in  a  large 
mansion  formerly  belonging  to  a 
protestant  gentleman.  Here  they 
have  continued  to  carry  on  their 
work  of  active  charity.  Till  the 
recent  establishment  of  the  mission 
of  St.  Mary's  (1898),  High  Road, 
East  Finchley,  the  convent  church 
was  open  to  the  public.  A  small 
day  school  was  opened  November  6, 
1899.  The  average  daily  attend 
ance  that  year  was  fifteen. 

Priest. 
Rev.  A.  C.  Day. 


FINCHLEY  NORTH,  MIDDLESEX 

(Westminster). 

Until  1903  North  Finchley  and 
its  adjunct,  Whetstone,  were  ad 
ministered  to  from  Barnet.  A  new 
mission  was  established  in  the 
former  place  in  June  1903,  Fr.  M. 
St.  John  Sellon  being  placed  in 
charge.  Mass  was  said  in  a  small 
hired  loft  over  a  stable-yard,  the 
Blessed  Sacrament  being  reserved 
in  the  priest's  house,  Nether  Street, 
where  Mass  was  said  on  weekdays. 
In  1903  the  chapel  was  at  4  Percy 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


179 


Boad,   near   Tally-ho    Corner,   the 
mission  being  served  from  Barnet. 


FLEETWOOD,  LANCS  (Liver 
pool).  St.  Mary. 

On  Thursday,  September  29, 1841, 
a  grand  concert  was  given  at  the 
"Whitworth  Institute,  Fleetwood,  to 
augment  the  building-fund  of  the 
church.  Many  of  the  officers  at 
tached  to  the  School  of  Musketry 
attended,  and  subscribed  liberally. 
The  edifice  was  opened  in  Novem 
ber  of  the  same  year.  The  sermon 
was  preached  by  Dr.  Butler,  of 
St.  Anthony's,  Liverpool.  The  new 
church  was  erected  1867,  from  a 
design  by  Pugin,  jun.  The  site 
was  given  by  Sir  P.  Fleetwood.  In 
1877  the  presbytery  was  built,  and 
in  1896  new  schools.  In  1903  the 
Catholic  population  was  1727. 

Priests. 
Rev.  B.  Carroll,  1841. 

E.  Carter,  1847. 

Thos.  Gibson,  1849. 

Hy.  Cook,  1857. 

Thomas     Canon     Newsham, 
1860  (?). 

Thos.  Bridges,  1867. 

Wm.  Bockliff,  1897. 


FOLKESTONE,  KENT  (SoutJi- 
wark}.  Our  Lady  Help  of  Chris 
tians  and  St.  Aloysius. 

As  late  as  1863  Folkestone  was 
described  as  k  a  destitute  mission,' 
with  no  better  chapel  than  '  a  bare 
room.'  About  seventy  Catholic 
children  of  the  place  were  said 
to  be  attending  protestant  schools. 
Fr.  E.  Sheridan,  of  Hythe,  served  ! 
the  chapel  on  Sundays.  The  present 
church  in  Guildhall  Street  was  ! 
opened  July  19.  1889,  by  Bishop 
Butt,  during  the  rectorate  of  Fr.  F. 


Dennan.  The  old  '  Towns  End ' 
cottages  formerly  stood  on  the  site. 
The  church  is  a  substantial  build 
ing  in  the  Early  Gothic  style ;  the 
architect  was  Mr.  Leonard  Stokes. 
The  seating  capacity  is  for  about 
750  people.  The  cost  of  erection 
was  between  £5,000  and  £6,000. 
The  sermon  at  the  opening  was 
preached  by  Mgr.  Harrington  Moore 
(Jeremias  vi.  16).  Mr.  C.  Santley, 
the  celebrated  vocalist,  sang  the 
'  Veni,  Sancte  Spiritus  '  at  the  offer 
tory.  The  present  incumbent  of 
Folkestone  is  Mgr.  C.  Coote,  suc 
cessor  to  Fr.  T.  Scannell,  now  of 
Weybridge. 


FORD,  LIVERPOOL,  LANCS.  The 
Holy  Sepulchre. 

The  Earl  of  Sefton  in  October 
1846  gave  an  acre  of  land  at  Ford 
as  a  site  for  the  Catholic  schools. 
In  1858  a  piece  of  ground  was  pur 
chased  from  the  same  noble  land 
lord  and  consecrated  as  a  cemetery. 
The  church  in  the  centre  of  this 
burial-ground  was  opened  by  the 
Bishop  of  Liverpool  in  September 
1861.  The  style  is  Modern  Gothic, 
and  the  building  will  accommodate 
about  200  persons.  Fr.  T.  Kelly 
was  the  first  resident  priest.  The 
Church  of  the  Good  Shepherd 
Convent — dedicated  to  the  Sacred 
Heart — was  commenced  in  May 
1886.  The  style  is  Gothic.  The 
building  is  divided  into  three  sec 
tions — for  nuns,  penitents,  and 
people. 

Priests. 
Rev.  _  Kelby,  1861. 

Moses  Doon,  1863. 

Bichard  O'Neill,  1871. 

M.  Aylward,  1874. 

Thos.  Browne,  1885. 

E.  O'Beilly,  1893. 

C.  Beynolds,  1895. 

P.  Monaghan,  1899. 


180 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


FORDINGBRIDGE,  HANTS  (Ports-    j 
mouth).     Our   Lady  of  Seven  Do 
lours. 

A    mission    established    by    the    | 
Servite  Fathers  in  1872. 

Priests. 

None  mentioned  1875. 
Bev.  Mgr.  Carter,  1878. 
„    Edw.  Sheridan,  1880. 
„    Edw.  Collins,  1885. 

Servites. 

Priors.  Eev.  P.  M.  Simoni,  1889. 
A.  Brugnoli,  1890. 
John      Angelo     Price, 

1891. 

A.  Brugnoli,  1892. 
P.  Mullarky,  1895. 
S.  Barry,  1897. 
Leo  Graty,  1900. 
Ambrose         McGrath, 
1903  to  date. 


FOREST      GATE,      LONDON,      E. 

(Westminster).      St.    Anthony     of 
Padua. 

A  school  chapel  was  opened  by 
the  Franciscans,  Wednesday,  Octo 
ber  8,  1884.  High  Mass  was  sung 
by  Dr.  Weathers,  Bishop  of  Amycla. 
In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day 
the  foundation  of  the  Friary  was 
laid  by  the  Bishop  of  Emmaus.  It 
forms  the  house  of  studies  of  the 
Order  in  England.  The  church 
was  opened  in  1887.  Catholic 
population  of  the  district,  about 
4,000. 


FOREST  HILL,  LONDON,  S.E. 
(Southward).  St.  William. 

The  church,  in  the  Komanesque 
style  of  architecture,  was  opened 
by  Bishop  Amigo,  May  3,  190G. 
The  building,  which  is  the  gift  of 
an  anonymous  benefactress,  will 
accommodate  about  200  persons. 


Fr.  James  Hayes,  late  of  the  neigh 
bouring  mission  of  Brockley,  is  the 
first  rector. 


FORMBY,  LANGS  (Liverpool). 
Our  Lady  of  Compassion. 

The  ancient  Catholic  family  of 
Formby  lost  the  faith  shortly  after 
1720.  Up  to  this  time  the  chapel 
served  the  mission.  Fr.  E.  Forster, 
S.J.,  was  priest  1701-7,  and  after 
him  Fr.  Beaumont.  Fr.  C.  Burton, 
1709-19,  Fr.  W.  Clifton,  1719-49, 
Fr.  F.  Blundell,  1749-79,  were  the 
next  priests.  A  public  chapel  was 
commenced  about  1G86.  At  the 
Bevolution  it  was  seized  and  used 
as  a  tithe-barn.  About  1794  it  re 
turned  to  its  original  purpose,  and 
was  enlarged  for  150.  By  1860,  the 
Catholic  population  had  risen  to 
1,100.  The  church  was  opened  in 
August  1864  on  a  site  given  by  Mr. 
Weld-Blundell,  who  also  contri 
buted  £1,000.  The  design  is  Ko 
manesque,  from  design  by  Glutton. 
Seats  are  arranged  for  600.  The 
schools  were  enlarged  in  1898. 

Priests  since  1779. 
Eev.  Hy.  Blundell,  S.J.,  1779. 

F.  Blundell,  1784. 

Thos.  Caton,  1787. 

—  Parkinson,  1791. 
-  Wheldon,  1791. 

F.  Craythorne,  1795. 

Hy.  Carter,  1796. 

Jos.  Maini,  1805. 

Jn.  Smith,  1834. 

Thos.  Crowe,  1853. 

Mgr.   Canon    Carr,    1862    to 
date  (1905). 


FOXCOTE,          WARWICKSHIRE, 

(Birmingham).     The   Immaculate 
Conception. 

The    ancient    Catholic   family  of 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


181 


Canning — descended  from  Thos. 
Canynges,  Lord  Mayor  of  London 
1456— were  seated  here  till  their 
extinction  in  January  1857.  The 
estate  now  belongs  to  the  Howards 
of  Corby.  Mass  was  said  in  the 
chapel  at  the  Hall  down  to  1813, 
when  the  present  edifice  was 
erected. 

Priests. 

Eev.  W.  Mannock,O.S.B.,  1709-59. 
„    Louvel,  1794  (?)  ;    served  by 
Fr.  J.   Ducket   of    Brailes, 
1833-36. 

Geo.  Burge,  1837. 

A.  Lempfried,  1849. 

D.  F.  Mascot,  1867. 

Jn.  Smith,  here  1871. 

W.  Timothy,  1876. 

W.  Stoker,  1882. 

Patrick  Keynolds,  1885. 

Michael  Hourigan,  1888. 

J.  Kennedy,  1903. 


FRESHFIELD,   near    LIVERPOOL 

(Liverpool). 

St.  Peter's  school  for  foreign 
missions  was  started  here  June  29, 
1884,  in  a  house  formerly  used  as 
a  boys'  school  under  the  direction 
of  a  protestant  clergyman.  The 
church  adjoining  is  in  a  mixed 
style  of  architecture,  and  will  ac 
commodate  about  100.  The  interior 
has  recently  been  adorned  under 
the  direction  of  the  present  rector. 
The  students,  who  number  about 
fifty,  go  through  their  course  of 
Humanities  at  this  college  prior  to 
their  philosophical  studies  at  Rozen- 
daal  (Holland),  after  which  they 
proceed  to  Mill  Hill,  London,  for 
theology,  Canon  law,  &c.  A  fine 
quadrangle  was  added  to  the 
school  in  1903. 

Presidents. 

Eev.  Francis  Henry,  1884. 
„    Joseph  Eettori,  1892. 


Rev.  John  Sala,  1893. 

„    Edmund    Farmer,    1901     to 
date. 


FRESHWATER,  ISLE    of  WIGHT 

(Portsmouth). 

The  domestic  chapel  of  Weston 
Manor,  the  seat  of  the  Ward  family, 
was  opened  for  public  worship 
September  14,  1871.  In  December 
1892  Fr.  Bernard  Vaughan 
preached  a  mission  here,  during 
which  time  about  forty  persons 
were  received  into  the  Church. 

Priests. 
Rev.  P.  Haythornthwaite,  1871. 

„    Patrick  Curtiss,  1899. 

„    L.  Doran,  1902  to  date. 


FRIMLEY,  SURREY  (Southward). 

A  wooden  chapel,  for  the  use  of 
the  Catholic  soldiers,  was  com 
menced  here,  Oct.  1906.  The 
building,  which  will  probably  be 
finished  by  Christmas,  is  for  about 
300.  Architect,  B.  Williamson,  Esq. 
The  mission,  which  was  commenced 
in  June  1906,  is  under  the  care  of 
the  Rev.  Geo.  Boniface. 


FRIZINGTON,          CUMBERLAND 

(Hexham     and    Newcastle).      St. 
Joseph. 

The  mission  was  founded  in 
1875.  The  present  church,  to  ac 
commodate  400,  was  opened  Janu 
ary  27,  1897.  The  reredos  has 
finely  carved  figures  of  SS.  Bene 
dict,  Edmund,  and  other  English 
Saints.  The  Lady  Altar  is  in 
memory  of  Fr.  Brieiiey. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Matthew  Brierley,  O.S.B. 

„    Hy.  Perkins,  1879. 

„    Ralph  Pearson,  1889. 


182 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Rev.  Win.  Hurley,  1891. 
„    Thos.  Bamf'ord,  1899. 
,.    Win.  Hurley,  1904. 
„    A.  Prior,  1906. 


FROME,  SOMERSETSHIRE  (Clif 
ton).  St.  Catherine. 

In  1850  the  Benedictine  "Fathers 
of  Downside  visited  Frome  and 
laboured  assiduously  among  the 
poor  Catholics  of  the  district. 
Mass  was  said  on  Sundays  in  the 
house  of  a  Mr.  Downing,  a  grocer. 
In  June  1854,  Fr.  Eichard  Ward, 
formerly  a  protestant  clergyman, 
fitted  up  an  old  building,  known  as 
St.  Catherine's  Tower,  as  a  church 
and  presbytery,  after  which  time 
Catholicism  in  the  district  greatly 
increased. 

Priests. 
Rev.  R.  Canon  Ward,  1854. 

,    Maurice  Power,  1860. 

,    Robt.  Wadman,  1863. 

,    Alex.  Ryan,  1871. 

,    F.  Bartley,  1874. 

,    J.  Fanning,  1879. 

,    J.  Archdeacon,  1885. 

,    Albert     Williams,     1892     to 
date. 


FULHAM,  LONDON,  S.W.  ( West 
minster}. 

When  Pugin's  beautiful  church 
of  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury  was 
c  rected  in  1847  —  through  the 
munificence  of  a  convert  lady — the 
congregation  mainly  consisted  of 
poor  market  gardeners  who 


laboured  in  the  '  Fulham  Fields.1 
In  1884  thousands  of  houses 
covered  the  once  rural  expanse. 
In  January  of  that  year,  a  large 
school  chapel  was  erected  by  Fr. 
C.  J.  Keens,  formerly  of  Maiden 
Lane  church,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
many  Catholic  poor  *  crowded  out ' 
to  Fulham  from  the  West  End. 
The  number  of  children  of  school 
age  was  estimated  at  about  700. 
The  high  altar  of  the  church  is 
adorned  by  a  richly  carved  reredos, 
and  the  windows  are  filled  with 
stained  glass.  The  first  incumbent 
was  Fr.  T.  T.  Ferguson,  D.D.  He 
was  succeeded  in  1856  by  Canon 
John  Morris,  who  in  1861  entered 
the  Society  of  Jesus.  The  Catholic 
population  of  the  mission  is  about 
4,000. 

Priests  since  1862. 
Rev.  Geo.  Canon  Rolfe,  1861. 

„    Wm.  Bond,  1866. 

„    Alexius  Mills,  1874. 

„  Mgr.  Fenton,  Bishop  of 
Amycla  1904,  Bishop 
Auxiliary  of  Westminster. 

„    John  Crowley,  1899  to  date. 


FULHAM  PALACE  RD.,  LONDON, 
S.W.  (Westminster}. 

The  mission,  which  is  under  the 
care  of  the  Augustinians,  was  com 
menced,  1903,  in  '  a  little  house- 
chapel  '  in  Comeragh  Rd.,  West 
Kensington.  The  present  iron 
church  of  the  mission  was  opened 
Sunday, September  16, 1906;  accom 
modation  for  about  250  ;  Very  Rev, 
Patrick  Raleigh,  prior. 


183 


GAINFORD,  DURHAM  (Hexham 
and  Newcastle).  St.  Osmund. 

The  mission  was  founded  as  a 
chapel  of  ease  to  St.  Augustine's, 
Darlington,  in  1852. 

Priests. 
Kev.  Thos.  Witharn,  1855. 

„    James  Rodgers,  1860. 

„    Michael  Birgen,  1891. 

„    Henry  Dix,  1895. 

„    Thos.  H.  Knuckey,  to  date. 


GAINSBOROUGH,  LINCOLNSHIRE, 

(Nottingham).       St.     Thomas      of 
Canterbury. 

The  mission  was  set  on  foot  in 
1866,  and  on  Wednesday,  June  3, 
1868,  the  new  church  was  opened 
by  Bishop  Roskell,  of  Nottingham. 
The  edifice,  which  was  built  at  the 
cost  of  T.  A.  Young,  Esq.,  of  King- 
erby,  is  in  the  twelfth  century  style 
of  Gothic.  Mr.  Hadfield  was  the 
architect.  The  accommodation  is 
for  about  150.  Cost  of  erection 
about  £1,250.  The  convent  and 
schools  were  built  later. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Michael  Scully,  1866. 

„     Michael  Gorman,  1877. 

,,     John  Wenham,  1888. 

„     Herbert  Beale,  1889. 
Thos.  Bolton,  1890. 
Michael  O'Reilly,  189a, 


Rev.  Geo.  Hawkins,  1897. 
„     Redmond  Walsh,  1898. 
„     Alf.  Bowen,  1899. 
„     Owen  J.  Scully,  1901  (?). 


GARSTANG,  JLANCS  (Liverpool). 
SS.  Mary  and  Michael. 

Prior  to  1788,  Catholics  at  Gar- 
stang  had  to  attend  Mass  at 
Claughton  or  Scorton.  In  the 
spring  of  that  year,  a  chapel  was 
opened,  Fr.  Shuttleworth  being  the 
first  priest.  In  1790  he  went  to 
Aston-le-Willows  and  was  suc 
ceeded  by  Fr.  J.  Barrow.  Fr. 
Barrow  died  in  1812.  Fr.  A. 
Story,  who  had  kept  '  a  young 
gentlemen's  academy  '  at  Tudhoe, 
was  the  next  incumbent.  He 
retired  about  1823  and  died  in  York 
shire  aged  eighty-seven.  In  1820 
the  Catholic  population  of  Garstang 
numbered  530.  In  1857  it  was 
1,000,  by  which  time  the  old  chapel 
had  become  almost  unfit  for  use. 
A  fine  site  at  Barnacre  was  pur 
chased  from  Mr.  Bashall,  of  Far- 
rington  Lodge,  and  the  foundation 
stone  of  the  new  church  laid  by 
Bishop  Goss,  of  Liverpool,  in  June 
1857.  Fr.  M.  Hickey,  resident  priest 
at  Garstang  from  1827  to  1871,  col 
lected  most  of  the  £3,030  required 
fjr  ths  contract.  The  style  of  tha 


184 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


church,  which  was  solemnly  opened 
in  August  1858  by  Bishop  Goss,  is 
geometrical,  and  the  building  will 
hold  over  600  persons.  New 
marble  altar  and  rails  before  the 
High  and  Lady  Altars  were  erected 
by  '  the  pastor  and  people  '  in  June 
1898. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Wm.  Foster,  1741. 

Edw.  Daniel,  1745. 

Shuttleworth,  1788. 

J.  Barrow,  1789. 

Wm.  Barnes,  1796. 

J.  Worswick,  1796. 

Jn.  Eickaby,  1798. 

Kd.  Sumner,  1800. 

J.  Barrow,  1800. 

J.  Burnard,  1807. 

Ar.  Story,  1813. 

Dan.  Hearne,  1824. 

M.  Hickey,  1825. 
(T.  Wells,  assistant.) 

Canon  Seed,  1871. 

Jn.  Nixon,  1872. 

Jas.  Hennessy,  1874  to  date. 


GAESTON,         LIVEEPOOL.        St.    I 
Francis  of  Assisi. 

In  1874  the  trustees  of  the  Liver-    j 
pool  Mission   Fund  granted   £100    j 
towards   a   school    chapel  in    this    | 
district.  The  mission,  however,  was    | 
not  started  till  1883,  when  a  Con 
gregational  chapel  was   purchased 
and    opened    for    worship    (July). 
New     schools     were     inaugurated 
October  1884. 

Priest. 
Bev.  Fredk.  Smith,  1883  to  date. 


GATESHEAD,  DURHAM  (Hexham 
and  Neivcasfle).  St.  Joseph. 

The  town  was  formerly  known 
as  Gateside.  During  the  reign  of 
James  II.,  Fr.  Philip  Leigh,  S.J., 
had  a  large  *  classical  academy '  j 


and  '  spacious  chapel '  in  the  town. 
Bishop  Leyburn  confirmed  360 
persons  here  August  10  and  11, 
1687.  Fr.  Leigh  was  still  here  in 
1704.  There  is  no  mention  of  a 
mission  after  this,  but  when  the 
Duke  of  Cumberland  was  hurrying 
north  to  suppress  the  Scotch 
rebellion  in  1746,  '  the  old  Catholic 
Church  of  St.  Edmund '  at  Gates- 
head  was  burnt  by  the  mob. 
Whether  this  was  an  old  pre- 
Beformation  church  or  a  '  Mass- 
house  '  does  not  appear.  The 
foundation  of  the  present  mission 
is  due  to  Fr.  Kobert  Suffield,  who 
in  1851  hired  a  loft  at  Hillgate  and 
fitted  up  a  chapel.  The  '  Long 
Room  '  of  the  Queen's  Hotel  was 
afterwards  hired  for  the  same  pur 
pose.  A  site  for  a  new  church 
was  secured  in  1850  at  '  Jackson's 
Chare  '  near  the  centre  of  the  town. 
The  first  stone  of  the  building  was 
laid  by  Bishop  Hogarth,  of  Hex- 
ham,  June  1,  1858,  and  the  church 
was  opened  July  5, 1859.  A  liberal 
portion  of  the  building  fund  was 
subscribed  by  the  congregation, 
including  many  of  the  employes 
of  Messrs.  Allhusen  &  Co.  In 
November  1883,  the  church  was 
reopened  after  a  thorough  course 
of  renovation.  Several  fine  stained- 
glass  windows  were  added  to  the 
clerestory  about  this  time. 
Catholic  population,  1854,  2,008. 

Priests. 

Rev.  R.  Suffield,  occasionally,  1851. 
„    F.  Betham,  1852. 

(Mission  served  from  Hexham 
1855--56.) 

Edward  Consitt,  1857. 

Hy.  Wrennall,  1860. 

Hy.  Riley,  1867. 

John  Wilson,  1874. 

Patrick     Thomas      Mathews, 
1879  till  1895. 

Canon  Michael  Greene,  1895 
to  date, 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC    MISSIONS 


185 


GATESHEAD,  DURHAM  (Hexliam 
and  Newcastle}.  'Our  Lady  and 
St.  Wilfrid.' 

This  mission  was  initiated 
temporarily  about  fifty  years  ago 
by  Fr.  Beetham,  of  Newcastle,  but 
the  project  was  shortly  afterwards 
given  up.  In  1886  the  effort  was 
again  renewed,  when  Mass  was 
said  every  Sunday  in  the  district 
by  a  priest  from  St.  Joseph's, 
Gateshead  (q-v.}.  A  new  iron 
church  to  accommodate  about  500 
persons  was  opened  on  Sunday 
September  18,  1904.  High  Mass 
was  sung  on  this  occasion  by  Fr. 
G.  Wheatley,  D.D.,  of  Ushaw. 
The  Catholic  population  of  the 
neighbourhood  is  estimated  at 
2,000. 

Priests. 
(Mission  served  from  St.  Joseph's 

1886-1901.) 
Rev.  James  Kay,  to  date. 


GILLINGHAM,  NORFOLK  (North 
ampton).  Our  Lady  of  Perpetual 
Succour. 

The  church  in  the  Roman  style 
was  opened  in  August  1898,  the 
stone  having  been  laid  in  February 
of  that  year  by  Fr.  M.  Fulton, 
O.S.B.  Size,  77  ft.  by  22  ft. ; 
campanile  60  ft.  high.  The  nave 
and  aisles  are  separated  by  hand 
some  Doric  columns.  J.  G.  Ken- 
yon,  Esq.,  of  Gillingham  Hall, 
defrayed  the  cost  of  erection.  The 
mission  is  at  present  served  from 
Beccles. 


GILLMOSS,         WEST        DERBY, 

(Liverpool}.     St.  Swithiu. 

This  mission  originated  about 
1700  at  Croxteth  Hall,  the  residence 
of  the  Lords  Molyneux,  When  the 


1st  Earl  of  Sefton  (Charles  9th 
Viscount  Molyneux)  conformed  to 
the  Established  Church  in  1768,  he 
had  some  rooms  in  a  farmhouse 
near  Croxteth  Hall  turned  into  a 
Catholic  chapel  and  also  erected  a 
residence  for  the  priest.  The  in 
cumbent  at  this  time  was  Fr.  B. 
Bolas,  O.S.B.,  who  died  in  1773. 
His  predecessor  had  been  the  Rt. 
Hon.  and  Rev.  Charles  6th  Lord 
Dormer,  of  the  Society  of  Jesus. 
Fr.  Joseph  Emmott,  S.J.,  came 
in  1773  at  the  special  request,  it  is 
said,  of  the  conforming  Lord  Sefton, 
who  had  been  one  of  his  pupils  at 
St.  Omer's.  This  story,  however, 
is  denied,  as  the  Earl's  guardians 
being  protestants  would  not  let 
him  have  a  Catholic  education. 
The  present  church  was  opened 
July  21,  1824,  and  the  presbytery 
in  1836.  In  1887  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  severed  their  connection 
with  the  mission,  which  has  since 
been  served  by  seculars.  Fr.  John 
Kelly  was  the  first  of  these.  He 
renovated  the  church  in  1891.  Fr. 
Taylor  succeeded  him  in  November 
1891.  The  church  contains  some 
valuable  sacred  pictures  and  is 
justly  considered  '  a  very  beautiful 
country  church.'  A  fine  school  and 
parish  hall  add  greatly  to  the 
efficiency  of  the  mission. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Albert  Babthorpe,  S.J.,  1701. 

„  Richard  Hitchmough,  1709. 
He  apostatised,  1714,  and 
became  a  priest-hunter.  He 
received  from  the  Govern 
ment  the  small  living  of 
Whenby,  Yorkshire,  where 
he  died' in  1724. 

„    Thos.Worthington,O.P.,1713. 

„    Richard  Jameson,  1725. 

„    Robt.  Kendal,  1733. 

,,  Win.  Molyneux,  1746,  became 
7th  Viscount  Molyneux, 
1756. 


186 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Kev.  Chas.    Dormer     (6th    Baron 

Dormer),  1747. 
Jn.  Bodenham,  1750. 
Bernard  Bolas,  O.S.B.,  1756. 
Jos.  Emmott,  S.J.,  1773. 
Nicholas  Sewell,  S.J.,  1816. 
Jos.  Cope,  S.J.,  1818. 
Thos.  Clarke,  S.  J.,  1834. 
Jos.  Johnson,  1841. 
Edw.  Morron,  1844. 
John  Milner,  1862. 
Bernard  Jarrett,  1863. 
James  Walker,  1880. 
Geo.  Noble,  1881. 
John  Young,  1882  (last  Jesuit 

rector). 

John  Kelly,  1887. 
Thos.  Taylor,  1891. 


GLASTONBURY,  SOMERSET.  Our 
Lady  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

This  town,  so  famous  in  the 
ecclesiastical  annals  of  England  for 
its  renowned  abbey,  dissolved  in 
1539,  was  without  a  mission  till 
the  autumn  of  1886,  when  the 
Fathers  of  the  Sacred  Heart  from 
Issoudun  (France)  opened  a  small 
chapel.  They  also  served  the 
mission  of  Highbridge,  which  till 
then  had  only  the  privilege  of 
Mass  on  the  first  and  third  Sun 
days  of  each  month. 


GLEN-TROTHY,  near  ABERGA- 
VENNY  (Monmouth).  The  Sacred 
Heart. 

The  chapel  was  opened  in  Octo 
ber  1885.     The  building,  which  was 
erected  at  the  sole  cost  of  Reginald 
Vaughan,     Esq.,    of   Glen-Trothy, 
consists    of  nave,   chancel,   porch,    ! 
and   sacristy.      The   high   altar  is    j 
adorned  by  a  carved  group  of  the 
Crucifixion,  the  whole  being  lighted 
by    a   rich    east    window.       High    j 
Mas§  on  the  occasion  of  opening   ! 


was  sung  by  Bishop  Hedley,  of 
Newport.  Mr.  E.  Kirby,  of  Liver 
pool,  was  the  architect  of  the 
chapel. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Henry  Clark,  1885. 

„     Sidney  Nicholls,  1888. 

„     Hyacinth  Skerrett,  1890. 

„     James  Phelan,  1892. 

„     P.  Larkin,  1893. 

„     Edrnond     Mottay,     1895     to 
date. 

GLOSSOP,     DERBYSHIRE     (Not 
tingham).     St.  Mary 
1.  All  Saints. 

Fr.  Nicholas  Garlick,  priest,  who 
suffered  for  the  Faith  at  Derby, 
1588,  was  a  native  of  Glossop. 
The  place  was  one  of  the  seats  of 
the  ducal  family  of  Norfolk,  who 
maintained  a  chapel  here  which 
served  the  mission  till  the  opening 
of  a  small  church  in  1837.  The 
stone  was  laid  by  Mr.  Ellison  on 
behalf  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk, 
February  13,  1835.  Schools  for 
300  children  were  erected  about 
the  same  time.  Edward  Fitzalan 
Howard,  first  Baron  Howard  of 
Glossop  (December  9,  1869),  was 
a  generous  benefactor  to  the  mis 
sion. 

Priests. 

Eev.  M.  Barbe,  1824. 
„    T.  Lakin,  1828. 
„    T.  Canon  Fauvel,  1835. 
„    C.  Tasker,  1866. 
„    Henry  Koerfer,  1882. 
„    W.  Baigent,  1892. 
„    Francis  Ffrench,  1897. 
„    J.  A.  Wenham,  1901. 
„    Owen  Scully,  1903  to  date. 
2.  St.  Mary. 

The  present  mission  was  formed 
1882,  by  the  Eev.  Charles  Tasker 
of  AH  Saints,  who  left  that  church 
to  be  first  incumbent  of  St.  Mary's. 
The  site  of  the  new  church — begun 
in  July  1884— was  given  by 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


187 


Howard  of  Glossop,  the  building 
expenses  (£12,000)  being  defrayed 
by  the  late  Francis  Sumner,  Esq. 
A  handsome  presbytery  was  erected 
by  the  same  generous  benefactor. 
The  church  was  opened  by  Bishop 
Bagshawe,  August  16, 1887.  Canon 
Tasker,  who  was  created  a  domestic 
prelate  (Monsignor)  in  1893,  died 
August  1906. 


GLOUCESTER        (Clifton).        St. 
Peter. 

The  mission  owes  its  rise  to  the    ! 
munificence  of  Miss    Mary  Webb,    i 
daughter   of  Sir   Jn.  Webb,    Bart.    ! 
The    first     priest    was     Fr.    Geo. 
Gildart,   but   he    did   not    remain 
long.        His    successor,     Fr.     Jn.    i 
Greenaway,  erected  the  chapel  in 
1789.      This   excellent    priest  also 
carried    on     a     highly    successful 
'  academy    for   young    gentlemen ' 
and    gained     the    respect     of    all 
classes.     He    died    November    29, 
1800,   aged  fifty,  and  is  buried  in 
the  chapel.     His  successor  appears 
to   have    been    the    Abbe    Giraud. 
During    the     incumbency    of    the 
Abbe    Josse  (1833)  some  valuable 
church  plate  was  stolen  from  the 
sacristy  (October  21).     The  chapel 
was  rebuilt  and  reopened  March  22, 
1860 ;     much    internal   decoration    I 
was     carried    out      October     acd 
November  1886  under  the  direction 
of  Senor  Dastis,  of  the  Academy  of 
Madrid.     The  carved  oak  stalls  of 
the   sanctuary  were  erected  at  the 
same  time. 

Priests. 

Bev.  George  Gildart,  1788. 
„     John  Greenaway,  1789, 
„     Abbe  Giraud,  1800. 
„    John  Burke,  1825. 
„     Abbe  L.  Josse, 


Kev.  P.   Hartley,    1841.      Died   of 

contagion,       caught      while 
visiting  the  sick,  1847. 

„     Henry  Godwin,  1847. 

„     T.  Macdonnell,  1848. 

„     Leonard    Canon  Calderbank, 
1850. 

,,     George    Canon    Case,     D.D. 
1866. 

„     M.  Bouvier,  1877. 

„     Eustace  Canon  Barren,  1879. 

„     Joseph  Chard,  1896  to  date.,, 


GOD  AIMING,  SURREY  (South 
ward}. 

This  mission  was  started  in 
1899  and  for  some  time  was  served 
on  Sundays  from  the  Franciscan 
Priory  of  Chilworth  (q.v.).  The 
Rushbrooks  and  Flemings  are  the 
most  considerable  Catholics  of  the 
place.  The  new  church  in  the 
Early  English  style  (98£  ft.  x  26 1  ft.) 
designed  by  Mr.  F.  Walters  was 
opened  by  Bishop  Amigo,  June  2,7, 
1906.  Cost  of  the  building  together 
with  the  '  commodious  presbytery  ' 
£4,700.  Fr.  St.  George  Hyland 
has  charge  of  the  mission. 


GOLBORNE,      NEWTON-LE-WIL- 
LOWS  (Liverpool).     All  Saints. 

The     mission     was     established 
1863. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Francis  A.  Dunham. 

Thos.  Carroll,  here  1871. 
Francis  A.  Soden,  1876. 
Thos.  Carroll,  1879. 
Rd.  Baynes,  1882. 
Wm.  Hy.  Byrne,  1885. 
Thos.  O'Donnell,  1895. 
„     Michael  Quirkc,  1902  to  date, 


183 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


GOLDENHILL,  STAFFORDSHIRE 
(Birmingham).  St.  Joseph. 

A  school  chapel  was  erected  in 
1873,  and  served  from  Tunstall  till 
the  opening  of  the  church  (Gothic) 
in  1883. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Thos.  Kenny,  1885. 

„     Bernard  Grafton,  1893. 

„     Win.  Hopkins,  1894. 

„     Thos.  Hanley,  1904. 

„     Willibrord    Buscot    1905     to 
date. 


GOOLE,  YORKS  (Leeds).  St. 
Thomas  of  Canterbury. 

The  mission  was  established  in 
1864.  A  school  chapel  was  opened 
in  July  1870,  and  the  present  church 
September  22,  1877,  by  Cardinal 
Manning.  Style,  Early  English ; 
accommodation  for  about  350 ;  cost 
about  £1,200. 

Priests. 
Rev.  James  Atkins,  1864. 

„     Gco.  Pearson,  1887  to  date. 


GOOSNARGH,    PRESTON,    LANCS 

(Liverpool).     St.  Erancis. 

Fr.  Thaddeus,  O.S.M.,  in  his 
( Franciscans  in  England '  gives 
the  date  of  the  foundation  of  this 
mission  as  1687.  The  ground  and  a 
small  endowment  (£10  per  annum) 
were  given  by  Cuthbert  Hesketh, 
Esq.  The  chapel  was  dismantled 
at  the  Revolution  next  year,  but 
'  soon  rose  out  of  its  ruins.'  The 
estate  on  which  the  chapel  stood 
was  sold  in  1757  to  Thos.  Starkie, 
Esq.,  but  a  portion  of  the  property 
was  secured  for  the  mission.  The 
baptismal  registers  date  from  about 
1770.  Fr.  Dinmore,  O.S.B.,  who 
succeeded  the  last  Franciscan  in 
cumbent,  Fr.  Bonaventure,  1833, 


enlarged  the  chapel  (1834).  New 
schools  were  opened  in  August 
1880. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Michael  Jackson,  1687. 
„    Hy.  Appleton,  1710. 
„    Chas.  Tootell,  1738. 
„    Jn.  Tootell,  1752. 
„    Robt.  Painter,  1753. 
„    Chas.  Tootell,  1755. 
„    Leo.  Francis,  1767. 
„    Bernardine  Fleet,  1770. 
„    Lawrence  Eccles,  1773. 
„    Bernard  Yates,  1776. 

Alex.  Whalley,  1778. 

Peter  Wilcock,  1779. 

Anthony  Caley,  1782. 

P.  Wilcock,  1784. 

Ig.  Casemore,  1785. 

Jas.  Howse,  1787: 

Nich.  Knight,  1788. 

Ig.  Casemore,  1790. 

P.  Wilcock,  1791. 

Hy.  Waring,  1794. 

Pacif.  Kington,  1800. 

Jos.  Tate,  1803. 

Bonaventure  Martin,  1805. 

Jos.  Tate,  1808. 

Anselm  Millward,  1809. 

B.  Martin,  left  1833. 

Edw.  Dinmore,  O.S.B.,  1834. 

Mat.  Brierley,  O.S.B.,  1879. 

Joseph  Worden,  1895  to  date. 


GORING-ON-THAMES,  OXFORD- 
SHIRE  (Birmingham).  Our  Lady 
and  St.  John. 

Mass  was  said  here  in  the  sum 
mer  of  1895  by  various  priests  for 
the  benefit  of  Catholic  visitors  to 
i    the  place.     Goring  was  established 
|    as  a  permanent;  mission  with  resi- 
|    dent  priest  in  April  1896.     The  site 
I    for  church  and  presbytery  was  se 
cured  about  this  time,  but  for  some 
months  Mass  was  said  on  Sundays 
:   in  the  house-boat  of  W,  B.  Hallet, 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


189 


Esq.  The  foundation  stone  of  the 
present  church  was  laid  by  the 
Bishop  of  Birmingham  on  Novem 
ber  3,  1897,  and  the  building  was 
opened  in  1898.  The  edifice,  which 
stands  in  Ferry  Lane,  consists  of  a 
sanctuary  and  half  the  intended 
nave.  The  style  is  Perpendicular 
Gothic,  designed  by  W.  Ravens- 
croft,  F.S.A.,  of  Reading.  The  site 
was  presented  by  Mr.  W.  Hallet. 


GORLESTON-ON-SEA,      SUFFOLK 

(Northampton) . 

The  temporary  chapel  was  opened 
June  1889.  The  building,  which 
was  formerly  a  malthouse,  will  ac 
commodate  about  150.  Estimated 
number  of  congregation,  about  70. 
Gorleston-on-Sea  is  a  growing  sea 
side  resort  well  known  for  its  'beau 
tiful  cliffs  and  bracing  air.'  A  site 
for  a  future  church  has  been  secured 
by  the  present  rector. 
Priests. 
Rev.  Edward  Scott,  1889. 

„    Henry  Stanley,  1905. 


GORTON,   MANCHESTER,    LANDS 

(Salford).     St.  Francis  of  Assisi. 

The  Franciscans  purchased  a 
house  and  piece  of  land  here  in 
February  1863.  It  was  occupied 
by  the  Fathers  after  Easter  of  the 
same  year.  The  cruciform  Gothic 
church  designed  by  E.  W.  Pugin 
was  commenced  in  May  1863,  and 
consecrated  1872.  Till  its  opening, 
the  schools  served  as  a  temporary 
chapel.  The  church  and  the  ad 
joining  monastery  cost  upwards  of 
£10,000.  A  splendid  marble  high 
altar  was  erected  in  July  1885. 
"When  Cardinal  Manning  visited 
the  church  in  September  1885,  he 
could  congratulate  the  Fathers  on 


their  work,  for  there  were  700  chil 
dren  in  the  schools  and  '  a  multi 
tude  of  people  who  received  the 
sacraments.' 


GOSPORT,  HANTS  (Portsmouth). 
Our  Lady  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

The  foundation  of  this  mission  is 
set  down  at  1750,  but  we  have  been 
unable  to  discover  anything  of  its 
early  history.  As  late  as  1851  the 
chapel  in  Middle  Street  was  '  a 
mean  wooden  structure  '  at  the  back 
of  the  presbytery,  affording  '  most 
inadequate  accommodation  for 
the  congregation.'  Fr.  Baldacconi, 
D.D.,  erected  the  present  church, 
opened  about  1855.  Donna  Maria 
Francisca,  wife  of  the  Spanish  royal 
claimant  Don  Carlos,  was  buried 
here  in  1835. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Abbe  Delarue,  1800  (?). 

Silveira,  1827. 

O'Meara,  1829. 

Jn.  Clarke,  1830. 

A.  M.  Baldacconi,  1850. 

Thcs.   Canon  Doyle,    here  in 
1871  and  till  1896. 

Mgr.     Cahill,     administrator, 
1896  ct  seq. 

Jn.  Canon  Watson,  to  date. 


GOUDHURST,  KETXT (Southward). 
The  Sacred  Heart. 

A  home  for  cripples  was  founded 
here,  at  Oakleigh  House,  in  1880  (?) 
by  Miss  Dashwood,  of  Slindon,  the 
chapel  being  open  to  the  public. 
The  home  was  subsequently  closed, 
but  the  mission  still  continues,  the 
Catholic  population  of  the  place 
being  about  thirty  (1905). 

Priests. 

Rev.  Ar.  Cumberlege. 
,    E.  Palmer. 


190 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Kev.  John  Brady. 

„    Geo.  Mendham,  1895  to  date. 


GOSFORTH,  NEWCASTLE-ON  - 
TYNE  (Hexham  and  Newcastle). 
The  Sacred  Heart  and  St.  Charles. 

The  mission  was  commenced  in 
1868,  Mass  being  said  at  Cox 
Lodge.  The  chapel  was  dedicated 
to  St.  Charles  and  served  from  the 
cathedral  till  about  1876,  when  a 
resident  priest  was  appointed.  The 
Bishop  Chad  wick  Memorial  Schools 
(Industrial)  were  inaugurated  Octo 
ber  1882  and  the  cemetery  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre  opened  1891.  The 
church  was  erected  1896. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Michael  Birgen,  1876. 

„    Peter  Perrin,  1882. 

„    Win.  Stevenson,  1892. 

„    Adam  Wilkinson,  1895. 

„    Thomas  Keilly,  1897  to  date. 


January  22,  1884.  Car tmel  Priory 
belonging  to  the  Canons  Kegular  of 
St.  Augustine  before  the  dissolu 
tion,  is  situated  in  the  neighbour 
hood. 


GRANGETOWN,  NORTH  RIDING, 
YORKS  (Middlesbrough).  Our 
Lady  of  Perpetual  Succour. 

What  was  formerly  a  small  vil 
lage  had  by  1883  become  a  town 
with  4,000  inhabitants.  The  school 
chapel  at  the  entrance  of  the  town 
was  opened  in  the  summer  of  1885, 
mainly  owing  to  the  efforts  of 
Canon  Holland,  of  Southbank.  For 
some  years  after  1885  the  mission 
was  served  from  Southbank. 

Priests. 
Rev.  James  Nolan,  1888. 

„    Patrick  Cronin,  1899. 

„    Bernard  Kelly,  1902  to  date. 


GRANGE-OVER-SANDS,        LANCS 

(Liverpool). 

Mass  was  offered  for  the  first 
time  here  on  Sunday,  August  26, 
1882,  at  Kent  Ford  House,  the 
residence  of  J.  Sutcliffe  Witham, 
Esq.,  by  Fr.  J.  Bilsborow,  after 
wards  Bishop  of  Salford.  Till  that 
time  there  was  no  Catholic  chapel 
nearer  than  Carnforth,  about  ten  j 
miles  distant.  The  foundations  of 
the  present  church  were  laid  May 
29, 1883.  The  style  of  the  building, 
designed  by  E.  Simpson  of  Brad 
ford,  is  Early  English,  the  structure 
comprising  nave,  chancel,  and  side 
chapels.  The  accommodation  is  for 
150  persons.  The  site  was  pur 
chased  by  Fr.  W.  Massey,  of  Ulvers- 
ton.  The  opening  took  place 


GRANTHAM,  LINGS  (Notting 
ham).  St.  Mary's. 

The  Thimelbys  of  Irnham  Hall 
were  the  support  of  this  mission 
during  the  greater  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  Bishop  Horn- 
yold  was  chaplain  here  about  1740. 
On  one  occasion  when  the  pur 
suivants  came  to  arrest  him  for 
saying  Mass,  he  escaped  detection 
by  disguising  himself  in  a  long 
cloak.  Fr.  R.  Thimelby,  S.J., 
laboured  in  the  district  during  the 
preceding  century  from  about  1649 
to  1665.  Owing  to  the  influx  of 
Irish  labourers  the  congregation 
greatly  increased  about  1820,  and 
thirteen  years  later  a  chapel  was 
opened  (May  1833)  by  Fr.  Tempest. 
A  mural  tablet  was  erected  to  his 
memory  after  his  death  (Novem 
ber  19,  1861).  The  chapel  was 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


191 


enlarged  and  decorated  in  1884. 
Fr.  P.  Sabela  has  been  rector  since 
1882. 


GEASSENDALE,          LIVERPOOL. 

St.  Austin. 

In  1835  Charles  Challoner,  Esq., 
offered  £50  a  year  to  support  a 
priest,  and  all  the  timber  requisite 
for  building,  if  a  church  were 
erected  in  the  neighbourhood.  The 
building  was  opened  in  July  1837, 
the  cost  of  the  structure  having 
been  £2,800.  The  rectors  of  the 
mission — Benedictines — since  that 
time  have  been  : 
Eev.  R.  A.  Prest,  1837-41. 

C.  A.  Shann,  1843. 

James  Carr,  1845. 

S.  B.  Day,  1849. 

W.  A.  Brindle,  1850. 

C.  Shann,  1853. 

E.  A.  Prest,  1857. 

J.  H.  Dowding,  1864. 

W.  A.  Bulbeck,  1872. 

J.  P.  Hall,  1882. 

J.  C.  Murphy,  1883. 

J.  J.  Brown,  1891. 

J.  P.  O'Brien  and  T.  A.  Burge, 
1898. 


GEAVESEND, 

St.  John  the  Evangelist. 

The  mission  was  started  about 
1840  by  Fr.  Gregory  Stasiewiecz,  a 
refugee  Polish  priest 'who  opened  a 
humble  chapel  in  Windmill  Street. 
By  dint  of  great  exertions  he  erected 
a  larger  chapel  in  the  Chatham 
Road,  under  the  patronage  of  St. 
Gregory  the  Great.  He  was  suc 
ceeded  by  Fr.  A.  Ritort.  In  1850 
the  priest  was  Fr.  Hearne,  of  Moor- 
fields.  He  repaired  the  walls  of  the 
chapel.  In  July  1851  a  fine  proprie 
tary  (Gothic)  chapel  belonging  to  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Blew,  a  convert  Anglican 
clergyman,  was  purchased,  and  con- 


!  secrated  by  Bishop  Grant  on  Octo 
ber  30  following.  Mr.  L.  Raphael 
generously  advanced  the  purchase 
money  (£2,000).  This  church 
was  erected  in  1838.  It  accommo 
dates  1,200  persons.  The  aisles  are 
adorned  with  a  series  of  well- exe 
cuted  statues  of  the  principal  Eng 
lish  saints.  In  July  1861  Bishop 
Grant  consecrated  a  Catholic  ceme 
tery  at  Gravesend, '  hundreds  falling 
on  their  knees  in  response  to  his 
entreaty  that  they  would  say  a  De 
Profundis  and  a  Hail  Mary  for  the 
Souls  in  Purgatory.' 

Priests  since  1853. 
Rev.  Amadeus  Guidez. 

„    Michael  Driscoll,  1855. 

„    M.  O' Sullivan,  1860. 

,,    Joseph  Wyatt,  here  in  1871, 
and  till  1906. 

„    Fr.  M.  Gifkins,  1906. 


GEAYS,     ESSEX    (Westminster). 
St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury. 

This  mission  was  commenced  in 
March   or   April    1862,   by   Fr.   J. 
Gilligan.       The    '  chapel  '     was    a 
closed-up  shop  and  the  altar  a  deal 
table.     The  vestments  are  described 
as    'unfit    for    use.'     Fr.    Gilligan 
had  also  charge  of  the  mission  of 
Barking,    fourteen    miles    distant. 
The  '  chapel '  of  Grays  only  accom 
modated  some  forty  persons  and  the 
1    congregation  numbered  nearly  200. 
Fr.  Geo.  Sparks  appealed  for  funds 
I    to  build  (December  1880).     As  late 
as    1885,  when  Canon    Keens  had 
charge  of  the  mission,  the  '  chapel  ' 
was  a  disused  butcher's   shop.     A 
school  chapel   was  commenced  in 
April  1886,  the  stone  being  laid  by 
,    Cardinal  Manning.     The  new  build - 
:    ing,  which  was  opened  in  October 
j    the   same  year,  is   capable   of   ac- 
i    commodating   400    children.     The 
chapel  is  in  the  upper  storey  with 


192 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


seating  capacity  for  500.  The  style 
is  Early  Gothic.  F.  Pownall  was 
the  architect. 


GREAT  BILLING,  NORTHAMP 
TONSHIRE  (Northampton).  The 

Immaculate  Heart  of  Mary. 

In  1874  V.  Carey-Elwes,  Esq., 
fitted  up  a  chapel  in  his  house  and 
opened  it  to  the  public.  It  was 
served  by  a  priest  from  Northamp 
ton,  but  at  that  time  the  only 
Catholics  in  the  place  were  the 
members  of  the  Elwes  family,  num 
bering  about  five.  By  1878,  there 
wras  a  resident  priest  and  upwards 
of  fifty  Catholics,  mostly  converts. 
A  large  temporary  church — the  gift 
of  Mr.  Elwes — was  opened  the 
same  year  (September  8). 

Priests. 
Eev.  W.  Blackman,  1878. 

„    Chas.  Mull,  1882. 

„    Patrick  Murphy,  1885. 

„    Fredk.  Maples,  1888. 

„    W.  Canon  Blackman  (second 
time),  1893  to  date. 


GREAT  CROSBY,  LANCS  (Liver 
pool).  SS.  Peter  and  Paul. 

The  mission  was  started  in  1826 
in  a  temporary  chapel  which  was 
superseded  by  '  a  neat  commodious 
structure,'  opened  in  1832.  The 
congregation  then  numbered  400. 
Schools  were  erected  by  Canon 
Fisher,  and  the  present  fine  Gothic 
church  opened  1894. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Wm.  Brown,  1826. 

,,     James  Canon  Fisher,  1850. 

„     Jn.  Canon  Wallwork,  1871. 

„     Jn.  Nixon,  1885  to  date. 


GREAT  ECCLESTON,  LANCS, 
St.  Mary. 

The  first  chapel,  founded  in 
1760,  was  situated  at  '  the  Eaikes,' 
about  quarter  of  a  mile  from  Great 
Eccleston.  The  baptismal  registers 
date  from  1771.  The  school  built 
in  1780  served  as  a  chapel  on  Sun 
days  till  the  completion  of  the  pre 
sent  church,  opened  in  July  1835. 
In  1869  an  altar  and  reredos  were 
erected  in  the  church  in  memory 
of  the  last  of  the  Leckonbys  '  a  fine 
old  Catholic  family  of  the  Fylde.' 

Priests  since  1824. 
Eev.  Hy.  Parkinson. 

Ealph  Platt,  1833. 

Thos.  Pinnington,  1837. 

Eandolph  Frith,  1840. 

Edw.  Brown,  1844. 

Walter  Maddocks,  1846. 

E.  Swarbrick,  1860  till  1878. 

Thos.  Wells,  1879. 

Thos.  Smith,  1889. 

Hy.  Eoberts,  1896  to  date. 


GREAT  GRIMSBY,  LINCS  (Not- 
tingham).  St.  Mary. 

When  Mass  was  first  said  at 
Great  Grimsby  in  1857  by  Fr. 
G.  Bent,  there  was  neither  '  chapel, 
mission  house,  nor  school '  in  the 
place.  In  1871  a  site  for  church 
and  schools  was  given  '  by  a  noble 
benefactor.'  The  church  was 
opened  Sunday,  August  19, 1883,  by 
Bishop  Bagshawe,  of  Nottingham. 
The  '  noble  benefactor  '  referred  to 
above  was  T.  A.  Young,  Esq.,  K.S.G., 
who  also  built  the  Gothic  church. 
In  July  1883  a  splendid  altar, 
designed  in  the  Early  Decorated 
style,  like  the  Angel  Choir  at 
Lincoln  Cathedral,  was  consecrated 
by  the  Bishop  of  Nottingham.  The 
schools  adjoining  the  church  were 
built  at  the  cost  of  Sir  John  Sutton 
and  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Fraser.  This 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


193 


latter  benefactress  gave  a  hand 
somely  carved  reredos  and  altar 
to  the  Sacred  Heart  chapel  of  the 
church  in  January  1884.  In  No 
vember  1887  a  beautiful  altar  was 
erected  in  the  Young  Chantry  by  the 
Hon.  Mrs.  Fraser,  in  memory  of  her 
deceased  husband,  Col.  the  Hon. 
Alexander  Fraser.  In  March  and 
April  1888  T.  A.  Young,  Esq.,  K.S.G., 
presented  the  church  with  carved 
oak  stalls  for  the  sanctuary  and  a 
handsome  scdile  for  the  officiating 
priest. 

Priests. 
Eev.  G.  Bent,  1857. 

„     George  Canon  Johnson,  1861. 

,,     Joseph     Hawkins,     1885     to 
date. 


GREAT  HAKWOOD,  LANCS  (Sal- 
ford).     St.  Hubert. 

This  mission  was  established  in 
June  1857  by  James  Lomax,  Esq., 
of  Clayton  Hall.  Mass  was  said 
there  for  the  first  time  on  June  29. 
The  church,  erected  by  the  munifi 
cence  of  James  Lomax,  Esq.,  was 
opened  for  worship  by  Bishop 
Turner,  of  Salford,  November  1859. 
The  style  of  the  church,  which 
cost  about  t'6,000,  is  of  the  Decorated 
period,  and  will  accommodate 
some  700  persons.  The  high  altar, 
which  rests  on  marble  columns, 
is  adorned  with  figures  emblematic 
of  the  Synagogue  and  the  Church. 
The  several  windows  of  the  church 
in  stained  glass  are  very  fine.  The 
whole  edifice  was  redecorated  in 
September  1864  at  the  expense  of 
the  Loinax  family. 

Priests. 

Eev.  W.  Canon  Dundcrdale,  1857 
till  after  1883. 

„     Arnold  Nohlmanns,  1885. 

„     Hy.  Hill,  M.A.  ,1888  to  date. 


GREAT      HAYWOOD,        STAFFS. 

(Birmingham}.        St.     John     the 
13aptist. 

The  church  was  dedicated 
October  21, 1846.  Bishop  Wiseman 
officiated,  assisted  by  the  Hon.  and 
Eev.  G.  Spencer,  F.  Searle,  J.  Keon 
Dunn,  &c.  G.  Clifford,  Esq.,  of 
Wycliffe,  Yorks,  gave  ,£'20  towards 
the  expenses  of  opening.  The 
neighbourhood  teems  with  associa 
tions  connected  with  such  old 
Catholic  families  as  Tixall,  Aston, 
Clifford,  &c.  In  May  1847  a  solemn 
requiem  Mass  was  sung  in  the 
church  for  the  repose  of  the  soul  of 
Col.  Sir  Charles  Chichester,  61st 
Eegiment,  who  died  at  Toronto, 
Canada,  while  in  command  there. 
His  family  was  among  the  early 
patrons  of  the  mission  of  Great 
Haywood. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Jn.  Levy,  1845. 

„     B.  J.  Butland,  1851  to  date. 


GREAT  MARIO  W,  BUCKS  (North 
amptonshire).  St.  Peter's. 

When  the  foundation  stone  of  the 
church  was  laid  July  2,  1845,  the 
Catholics  of  Great  Marlow  totalled 
six  out  of  a  population  of  6,000. 
Bishop  Wareing  laid  the  stone  in 
the  presence  of  1,500  spectators. 
Mr.  Scott-Murray  acted  as  cross- 
bearer  in  the  procession  to  the  site. 
Mr.  E.  Wheble  was  M.C.  The 
religious  ceremony  concluded  with 
a  banquet  at  the  town  hall,  while 
shillings  and  loaves  were  distributed 
to  a  number  of  the  deserving  poor. 
Among  the  distinguished  company 
present  were  Lord  and  Lady 
Camoys,  Lady  Bedingfeld,  Lady 
Eussell,  P.  Howard,  Esq.,  M.P.,  The 
O'Conor  Don,  &c.  The  church 
was  designed  by  Pugin  and  built 
at  the  sole  expense  of  Mr.  Scott- 

O 


194 


ENGLISH    CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Murray.  The  spire  is  seventy  feet 
high.  In  August  1846  a  collection 
plate  and  set  of  altar  cruets  were 
stolen  from  the  sacristy.  Fr.  Peter 
Coop  was  the  first  priest  in  charge 
of  the  mission.  In  1851,  when 
Fr.  J.  Morris  was  chaplain  to 
Mr.  Scott-Murray,  High  Sheriff  of 
Bucks,  Lord  Campbell,  the  Assize- 
judge,  objected  to  riding  in  the 
same  carriage  with  a  '  Popish  chap 
lain.'  The  incident  was  much  com 
mented  upon  at  the  time,  and  in 
the  sequel  the  learned  judge  wrote 
apologising  for  his  want  of  cour 
tesy. 

Priests. 
Bev.  P.  Coop,  1845. 

„     Jn.  B.  Ludwig,  1849. 

„     J.  Morris,  1851. 

„     Bernard  Canon  Smith,  1854  to 
1903. 

„     H.  Squirrell,  1903  to  date. 


GREENGATE,  LANGS  (Salford). 
St.  Peter. 

A  chapel  was  opened  Sunday, 
January  4,  1863,  and  in  1874  the 
church  was  erected.  In  July  1883 
a  new  stone  altar  and  reredos  were 
added.  The  general  design  consists 
of  a  series  of  ornamental  arcadings 
supported  by  columns  of  Irish 
marbles,  and  flanked  on  either  side 
by  statues  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Henry  Beswick. 

Aemilius  Goetgeluck,  1882. 

Martin  Meagher,  1893. 

David  Power,  1895. 

John  Moore,  1902. 

Henry  Hunt,  1904  to  date. 


GREENHITHE,     KENT     (South- 

.     Our  Lady  of  Mt.  Carmel. 
This    mission    was    started     at 


Galley  Hill  in  the  spring  of  1859  by 
Fr.  F.  W.  Faber  of  the  Oratory. 
The  chapel  at  first  was  a  small 
room  opening  out  into  an  uncovered 
yard.  The  number  of  Catholics 
was  set  down  at  about  300.  The 
first  resident  priest  of  Greenhithe 
was  Fr.  F.  Maurice,  O.C.,  who  was 
succeeded  by  Fr.  M.  0' Sullivan, 
O.C.,  in  1861.  The  chapel  was  so 
crowded  on  Sundays  that  the 
children  who  were  placed  near  the 
altar  actually  touched  the  priest 
while  saying  Mass.  The  church 
was  opened  1875,  and  for  some 
I  time  was  served  from  Northfleet. 
In  1904  it  was  attended  on  Sundays 
by  a  priest  from  Walworth. 


GREENWICH,        LONDON,       S.E. 

!    (Southward).    Our  Lady  Star  of  the 

I    Sea. 

The  old  Catholic  chapel  situated 

;  in  East  Street  dates  from  shortly 
after  the  commencement  of  the 
last  century.  About  1830,  the  con 
gregation  numbered  1,500 — 1,000 
civilians  and  500  naval  pensioners. 
The  bulk  of  the  former  were  very 
poor.  Fr.  R.  North,  who  was  ap 
pointed  to  Greenwich  in  1828, 
started  collecting  funds  for  a  new 
church.  It  is  said  that  when  in 
danger  of  death  by  shipwreck  as  a 
lad,  he  made  a  vow  to  become  a 
priest  and  build  a  church  in  honour 
of  Our  Lady,  both  of  which  promises 

i  he  fulfilled.  His  congregation  re 
sponded  cheerfully  to  his  appeal, 
one  old  Trafalgar  veteran  giving 
all  his  life's  savings  (£25)  to  the 
fund.  The  Lords  of  the  Admiralty, 
in  consideration  of  the  great  work 
done  by  Fr.  North  among  the  old 
sailors,  contributed  £200.  In 
October  1846,  the  present  Gothic 
church  was  commenced  on  Groom's 
Hill,  and  opened  .December  8, 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


195 


1851.       Bishop    Grant    sang    the 
Mass,      and     Cardinal      Wiseman 
preached.     At    the  golden  jubilee    | 
of  the  church,  December  8,  1901,    j 
Bishop  Bourne  preached,  and  Fr.    j 
Oswald  Turner,  C.J.,  of  St.  George's    j 
College,  Weybridge,  sang  the  Mass. 
About  £600  was  collected  for  the 
decoration  of  the  church  in  memory 
of    the    event.     Canon    R.    North 
died  in  February  1860.     Over  1,100 
persons  attended  his  funeral,  which    I 
was    'strictly    Gothic.'      He     was    j 
buried    in    the    chancel,    where    a    j 
monument  has  been  erected  to  his 
memory.       His     brother,     Canon 
Joseph  North,   died  in  1886.     He 
was  the  beau-ideal  of  the  old  type 
of  English  Catholic  priest.     Since 
then  the   rector   has   been    Canon 
O'Halloran,  who  came  to  the  church 
as  a  curate  in  1859.     We  may  add 
that  the   mission  is   indebted   for 
much   of    its    present    nourishing 
condition   to    such  generous  bene 
factors  as  the  late  Sir  Stuart  Knill, 
sometime  Lord  Mayor  of  London, 
and  his  son,  the  present  Alderman 
Sir    John    Knill.     The     estimated 
number     of     the     congregation — 
owing  to  the  establishment  of  local 
missions — is  now  about  700. 


GREENWICH  (EAST)  (South-  j 
wark).  St.  Joseph's  Church,  Pelton  I 
Eoad. 

Opened  Wednesday,  May  25, 
1881.  Style,  Early  Decorated,  j 
Cost  about  £4,350.  Seating 
capacity  of  church,  500.  Archi 
tect,  A.  J.  Hansom.  Fr.  A.  M. 
Boone  was  priest  at  the  time  of 
opening,  when  Mass  was  sung  by 
Bishop  Patterson,  of  Ernmaus. 
Cardinal  Manning  preached  (St. 
Matt,  xxviii.  20).  Present  rector,  i 
Fr.  Thomas  Nolan* 


GREYSHOTT,  HANTS  (Ports 
mouth}. 

The  mission  was  commenced  in 
1893  when  the  temporary  chapel 
was  served  during  the  summer 
months  by  one  of  the  Premon- 
stratensian  Canons  from  Farn- 
borough.  Fr.  Jerome  O'Callaghan 
was  appointed  1896 ;  J.  D.  Breen, 
1899  ;  Henry  L.  P.  Kelly  is  the 
present  rector. 


GROSMONT,      MONMOUTHSHIRE 

(Newport). 

An  iron  chapel  was  opened  here 
August  8,  1906.  The  mission  was 
established  conjointly  by  Godfrey 
Radcliffe,  Esq.,  of  Dan-y-Craig, 
and  Count  Keyes  O'Clery,  in 
memory  of  Major  Joseph  Radsliffe, 
'  a  gallant  soldier  and  a  staunch 
Catholic.'  The  beautiful  oak  altar 
of  the  chapel  was  carved  by  Mr. 
Radcliffe. 


GROVE  FERRY,  KENT  (South 
ward). 

In  1903  the  Marist  Brothers 
acquired  a  large  mansion  known  as 
*  Shrublands,'  formerly  used  as  a 
boarding  establishment,  and  by  the 
addition  of  some  adjoining  houses 
transformed  the  entire  block  into  a 
college.  At  present,  the  number  of 
pupils  is  about  100.  An  iron  chapel 
to  accommodate  about  130  has 
been  erected,  and  for  the  time  being 
serves  as  the  mission  church  of  the 
district. 


GUILDFORD  (Surrey}.  St.  Joseph, 
Chertsey  Street. 

From  1792  to  1801  a  certain 
emigre,  Abbe  Geudemetz,  resided 


196 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


at  Guildforcl  and  said  Mass  in  a 
temporary  chapel,  probably  in 
Friary  Street,  where  some  120  fellow 
emigres  were  accustomed  to  worship. 
The  present  mission  of  Guildford 
was,  however,  started  from  Sutton. 
Place  (q.v.),  about  1857,  by  Fr. 
Joseph  Sidden,  who  opened  a  tempo 
rary  chapel  in  a  room  in  Spital  Street. 
Already,  in  November  1846,  a  site 
for  a  church  had  been  secured  in 
Chertsey  Street  by  Bishops  "Wise 
man  and  Griffiths.  The  purchase 
was  effected  by  a  Mr.  Edward 
Collen,  of  Postford  Mill,  Albury. 
In  1860  a  wooden  military  hut  was 
erected  on  the  site  and  fitted  up  as 
a  chapel.  The  cost  of  this  struc 
ture  was  largely  met  by  the  Catholic 
Scotch  and  Irish  bargemen  who 
worked  on  the  river  Wcy.  The 
military  hut  did  duty  till  the  open 
ing  of  the  present  church  by  Cai:on 


Crookall,  V.G.,  October  19,  1881. 
The  style  of  the  building  is  Geo 
metric  Gothic,  the  structure  being 
designed  for  200  persons.  The 
church  was  completed  in  August 
1884,  and  on  the  19th  of  that 
month  the  event  was  celebrated  by 
a  solemn  High  Mass,  at  which 
Cardinal  Manning  pontificated  and 
preached.  The  pulpit  was  pre 
sented  by  Mrs.  Byrne,  the  altar  by 
Mrs.  Littledale,and  the  five  stations 
by  Albert  Sibcth,  Esq.  Col.  and 
Mrs.  Tredcroft  were  also  generous 
benefactors  to  the  church.  A  fine 
presbytery  was  built  in  1890.  The 
priests  at  Guildford,  since  the 
establishment  of  the  mission,  have 
been:— Rev.  E.  Clery,  1860-64; 
Rev.  T.  Richardson,  1864-65;  E. 
Sheridan,  1865  78 ;  R.  Fowler, 
1878,  the  present  incumbent. 


197 


H 


HACKNEY,  LONDON,  N.E.  (West 
minster). 

In  1840,  Hackney,  though  a 
fairly  populous  district,  '  lay  open 
to  the  fields  and  intersected  by 
country  lanes.'  The  Catholics 
of  the  locality  had  to  go  as  far 
as  Moorfields  for  Mass,  but  in 
1843  they  were  accustomed  to  meet 
in  an  obscure  room  on  Sunday 
evenings  to  recite  the  rosary,  read 
one  of  Challoner's  meditations,  and 
sometimes  hear  a  sermon  from  one 
of  the  Moorfields  priests.  In  1844 
a  temporary  chapel  behind  'The 
Black  Boys '  brewery  in  Elsdale  | 
Street,  was  occupied,  and  in  June 
1845  a  site  'for  a  chapel  and 
nunnery '  was  purchased  in  the 
Triangle  for  £700.  The  church, 
consisting  of  a  nave,  north  aisle, 
chancel,  sacristy,  and  bell-cot,  was 
built  in  1848,  from  a  design  by 
Wardell.  The  accommodation  was 
for  500  persons,  the  cost  of  the 
building  being  about  £2,000.  A 
baptistery  was  subsequently  added 
by  Miss  Harrison.  Father  Kaye 
gave  the  beautiful  Lady  Altar  of 
marble  and  alabaster  to  the  church, 
the  funds  being  supplied  by  the  j 
Confraternity  of  the  Living  Eosary. 
The  church,  after  being  thoroughly 
cleaned  and  renovated  for  the  occa 
sion,  was  solemnly  consecrated  by 
Bishop  Brindle,  D.S.O.,on  Tuesday, 


November  21,  1899.  The  congre 
gation  at  that  time  was  estimated 
at  800  effective  members,  the 
average  school  attendance  being 
about  230. 

Priests. 

Fr.  J.  Lecuona,  1844. 
„  John  Vertue  (Bishop  of  Ports 
mouth  1882-1900). 
J.  P.  Kaye,  M.K. 
Padbury. 
,  W.  Fleming. 
,  T.  Denny,  M.R. 
Geo.  Cox,  to  date. 


HAD  FIELD,  near  GLOSSOP 
(Nottingham). 

St.  Charles'  Church  was  built  in 
1858-60.  During  the  mission  given 
there  by  the  Franciscan  Fathers  of 
Gorton  Brook,  near  Manchester,  in 
September  1865,  no  less  than  1,000 
members  of  the  congregation  re 
ceived  Holy  Communion.  The 
mission  is  largely  indebted  to 
the  munificence  of  Lord  Edward 
Howard  of  Glossop,  the  donor  of 
the  church.  The  church  and  con 
gregation  were  solemnly  '  con 
secrated  to  the  Sacred  Heart 
September  6,  1873.' 

Priests. 

Rev.    Bryan    O'Donnell,    here    in 
1862. 


198 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Eev.  C.  L.  Monahan,  1863. 
„    Charles  Hickey,  1877. 
„     Wm.  Yates,  1882. 
„    Herman  Canon   Sabela,  1888 
to  date. 


HADHAM,  HERTS  (Westminster). 

The  school  for  epileptic  children,    I 
under  the  care  of  the  Daughters  of 
the  Cross,  was  opened  September    j 
22,  1903.       The  Gothic  church  and    \ 
convent  were  designed  by  Mr.  J.  F. 
Bentley,    architect    of   the    West 
minster  Cathedral.     The  church  is 
so  arranged  that  the  inmates  of  the 
place,    who    number    about    fifty, 
cannot     be     seen    by    those    who 
attend   the   services   from  outside. 
The    Catholics   of  the  district  are 
estimated  at  about  a  dozen. 

Priests. 
Rev.  O'Doherty,  1903. 

„    E.  Schmitt,  1904. 

„    \V.  J.  Smullen,  1905. 


HADZOR,  WORCESTERSHIRE 
(Birmingham).  SS.  Richard  and 
Hubert. ' 

This  mission  was  started  from 
Broadway  early  in  1878.  On 
July  16  of  that  year,  the  present 
little  church,  in  the  Flemish  style, 
was  opened  by  Bishop  Ullathorne 
(C.  Buckler,  architect).  The  altar 
and  furniture  were  the  gift  of 
Joseph  Whitehouse,  Esq.  '  An 
elegant  and  spacious  gallery  '  was 
added  to  the  church  in  the  autumn 
of  1884. 

Priests. 
Eev.  James  Rigby,  1878. 

„    Edward  Dorr,  1882. 

„    Terence  Fitzpatrick,  1885. 

„    Wm.  Stoker,  1889. 

„    Joseph  Lillis,  1891. 

„    John  Kelly,  1892. 


Rev.  Henry  Gregson,  1895. 

„    Clement  Gottwaltz,    1899    to 
date. 


HAINTON,  or  HANTON,  LIN 
COLNSHIRE  (Nottingham).  St. 
Francis  of  Sales. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Jn.  Abbot,  1836. 

,,    James  Canon  Simkiss,  1837. 
„    Francis  Canon  Cheadle,  1857. 
„    M.  P.  Horgan,  1885. 

(Mission  served  from  Market 

Rasen,  1892-3.) 
„    W.  Yates,  1894. 
„    Joseph  Feakens,  1899  to  date. 


HALES     PLACE,     CANTERBURY 

(Southward). 

Sir  Edward  Hales,  Bart.,  became 
a  Catholic  about  the  time  of  the 
accession  of  James  II.,  and  he  it 
was  against  whom  the  collusive 
action  was  brought  to  asceitain  if 
the  courts  would  allow  a  Catholic 
to  hold  a  commission  in  the  army 
by  royal  license.  The  judges  after 
trial  in  1686,  gave  their  opinion  in 
favour  of  the  '  dispensing  power ' 
by  which  the  king  could  suspend 
the  operation  of  the  penal  laws. 
The  family  of  Hales  clung  to  their 
newly  adopted  faith,  and  till  the 
opening  of  the  Canterbury  mission 
their  chapel  was  the  only  Catholic 
one  for  miles  round.  Sir  Edward 
Hales,  last  baronet,  died  in  1829, 
leaving  his  daughter,  Mary  Barbara, 
a  ward  in  Chancery.  This  lady 
subsequently  entered  the  Carmelite 
Order,  but  obtained,  after  a  few 
years,  a  Papal  dispensation  from 
her  vows.  She  then  commenced 
building  a  monastery  on  her  estate 
at  Hales  Place,  but  her  intentions 
were  never  fully  realised.  In 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


199 


1881-2  the  French  Jesuits,  expelled 
from  France,  acquired  the  estate, 
and  built  on  it  a  college  for  their 
novices.  Miss  Hales  died  Saturday, 
April  18,  1885,  and  was  buried 
among  her  ancestors  in  the  chapel 
at  Hales. 


HALIFAX,  YORKS,  WEST 
BIDING  (Leeds).  St.  Mary. 

The  date  of  the  foundation  of 
this  mission  is  given  as  1827,  but 
no  mention  of  it  occurs  in  the 
'  Laity's  Directory  '  till  1830,  when 
the  priest  in  charge  of  the  place 
was  Fr.  F.  Keily.  The  congrega 
tion  is  described  as  made  up  of  a 
'number  of  poor  Catholics,'  who 
'have  only  a  temporary  room  in 
which  they  hear  Mass  on  Sundays, 
which  on  weekdays  is  used  for 
every  profane  purpose.'  By  1837, 
this  depressing  state  of  things  had 
not  changed,  but  next  year  '  a  new 
Catholic  church '  was  erected  in 
the  town.  This  structure  made 
way  for  the  present  Church  of 
St.  Mary,  opened  in  1865. 

Priests. 
Kev.  Thos.  Keily,  1827  (?). 

,.    Joseph  Fairclough,  1837. 

„    John  Rigby,  1840. 

„    James  Hostage,  1849. 

„    Matthew  Kavanagh,  1856. 

,,    Jacob  Illingworth,  as  second 
priest,  1858. 

„    J.  Kelly  and  J.  Atkinson,  1864. 

„    J.  Geary,  1871. 

„    B.  Wake,  1882. 

,,    Canon  Gordon,  1891. 

„    P.  Mulcahy,  1898. 


HALLIWELL,     BOLTON,     LANGS 

(Salford).     St.  Joseph. 

On    Sunday,   August    21,    1881, 
the  school  chapel  of  the  mission 


was  opened  by  the  Bishop  of  Sal- 
ford.  It  accommodates  400  people 
on  Sundays  and  300  children  on 
weekdays.  The  cost  of  the  build 
ing  was  £980.  The  present  fine 
church  was  opened  by  the  Bishop 
of  Salford  in  1900.  Canon  Boulaye, 
V.G.,  is  the  present  rector. 


HALSTEAD,      ESSEX     (West- 
ruins  tcr) . 

A  regular  mission  was  started 
here  in  March  1898,  when  a  wooden 
building  in  Rosemary  Lane — for 
merly  used  by  a  firm  of  printers  — 
was  fitted  up  as  a  chapel.  Mass 
was  said  here  for  the  first  time  on 
Sunday,  March  27,  by  Mgr.  Canon 
Moyes,  D.D.,  who  in  the  course  of 
his  sermon  gave  a  lucid  explana 
tion  of  the  Catholic  doctrine  of  the 
Holy  Eucharist.  The  mission  is  at 
present  (1906)  served  from  Brain- 
tree.  On  Tuesday,  October  26, 
1897,  Cardinal  Yaughan  lectured 
on  the  Catholic  Church  in  the 
Town  Hall  of  Halstead,  which  was 
densely  crowded.  The  next  even 
ing  his  Eminence  lectured  on  devo 
tion  to  Our  Lady,  and  on  the  con 
clusion  of  the  address  a  vote  of 
thanks  was  unanimously  passed  at 
the  suggestion  of  the  Rev.  R.  H. 
Fuller,  a  Unitarian  minister,  who 
described  the  lecture  as  '  an  intel 
lectual  treat.'  The  bulk  of  the 
large  audience  present  were  the 
most  '  dissident  of  dissenters.' 


HAMMERSMITH,     LONDON,     W. 

(Westminster).     The    Most    Holy 
Trinity. 

From  its  retired  situation,  Ham 
mersmith  was  during  the  penal 
times  chosen  by  many  Catholics 
as  a  suitable  place  of  residence. 


200 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


In  1685,  Mrs.  Frances  Bedingfeld, 
sister  of  Sir  Henry  Paston  Beding 
feld,  Bart.,  established  a  commu 
nity    of    Benedictine    nuns,   from 
Munich,   at    Hammersmith    in    a 
spacious   house    surrounded  by    a 
large    garden.       The     nuns    wore 
the  ordinary  dress  of  the  period, 
and  devoted  themselves  to  teach 
ing  the  daughters  of  the  Catholic 
nobility  and  gentry.     For  the  sake 
of    protection,   the     property    was 
nominally  held  by  the  Portuguese 
ambassadors,  who  had  their  coun 
try  house  at  Hammersmith.     The 
Vicars  Apostolic    of    the    London 
District   also    had   a  residence   in 
the  neighbourhood.      Their  house 
afforded  the  blessings  of  Mass  and 
the  Sacraments  to  the  proscribed 
Catholics  in  the  district.      Bishop 
Gifford    died    here    in    1734,   and 
Bishop  Talbot  (brother  of  the  Earl 
of  Shrewsbury)  in  1790.     In  1795, 
the   English   Benedictine   nuns   of 
Dunkirk    came   to    England   after 
suffering    much    ill-usage    at    the 
hands   of  the   Revolutionists,  and 
were  settled  by  the  V.A.  of  London, 
Bishop  Douglass,  at  the  Hammer 
smith  convent,  which  at  this  time 
contained  only  three  nuns  of  the 
old     community.       The     spacious 
chapel  of  the  house,  built  in  1812  by 
Joseph  Gillow,  Esq.,  served  the  mis 
sion  down  to  1853,  when  the  church 
at   Brook  Green  was  built.      The 
present    church    was    commenced 
May  8,  1851,  and  opened  July  26, 
1853.       The    style     is     Decorated 
Gothic,     from     design    by     War- 
dell.      Fr.  Joseph  Butt,  who  died 
September     27,     1854,     was     the 
founder.      The    spire    was    added 
1867,  and  a  peal  of  bells  in  1871. 
The  Chapel  of  the  Blessed  Sacra 
ment  was  built  by  the  late  Countess 
Tasker  in  1854.      Fr.  D.  O'Keefe 
succeeded  as  rector   in  1854,  and 
in  1881  Canon  Alfred  White,  for 


merly  curate  to  Fr.  Butt.  Canon 
White  was  elected  an  alderman  of 
the  borough  of  Hammersmith  in 
1900,  and  died  at  an  advanced  age 
in  1904.  The  church  was  cleaned 
and  redecorated  both  in  1880  and 
1898  through  the  generosity  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  H.  Kearsley,  who  also 
defrayed  the  cost  of  lighting  the 
building  by  electricity.  Near  the 
church  are  the  St.  Joseph's  Alms- 
houses,  the  foundation  stone  of 
which  was  laid  by  the  Duchess  of 
Norfolk,  May  28,  1851. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Wm.  Maire,  1697-1739. 


-Joseph  Bolton,  1770  (?) 
James  Barnard,  V.G.,  1783- 

1803. 
(The  Rev.  Joseph  Lee,  1790- 

1800,  appears  to  have  been 

his  assistant.) 
Abba      F.    Bellissent,     1803. 

His  assistant  was  the  Abbe 

Nicholas  Jacquin. 
Wm.  Kelly,  1840. 
Joseph  Butt,  1847. 
D.  O'Keefe,  1854. 
Alfred  Canon  White,  1851. 
Alfred  Canon  Clements,  1904 

to  date. 


HAMPSTEAD,  LONDON,  N.  (West- 

minster}. 

The  founder  of  this  mission  was 
the  Abbe  Morel,  an  emigre  of  the 
Great  Revolution.  After  teaching 
French  for  a  few  months  in  Sussex 
(1792-3)  he  went  to  Reading,  and 
in  1796  came  to  Hampstead  as 
chaplain  to  a  number  of  French 
refugees  resident  in  the  then  beau 
tiful  village.  He  fitted  up  a  chapel 
in  Oriel  House,  Church  Row,  re 
cently  pulled  down,  and  there 
administered  the  Sacraments  and 
said  Mass  till  the  opening  of  the 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


201 


present  'tasteful  and  artistic  little 
church'  in  Holly  Place  in  1816. 
The  good  Abbe  died  in  1852,  and 
his  remains  repose  under  the  porch 
of  the  church  where  he  laboured 
so  long.  An  altar  tomb  was  erected 
to  his  memory  in  March  1857.  | 
The  centenary  of  the  mission  was 
celebrated  July  2,  1896,  the  Feast 
of  the  Visitation,  in  the  presence 
of  Cardinal  Vaughan,  the  Bishop 
of  Emmaus,  and  a  large  congrega 
tion.  The  entire  church  was  re 
decorated  at  a  cost  of  £400  in 
November  and  December  1892. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Abbe  J.  Morel,  1796. 

„    Jn.  Walsh,  M.E.,  1852. 

„    Mgr.  V.  Eyre,  here  1862. 

„    Ar.  Dillon  Canon  Purcell,  here 
in  1871  till  1901. 

„    Michael     FitzGerald,     M.R., 
1901  to  date. 


HAMPTON-ON-THE-HILL,    WAR 
WICKSHIRE    (Birmingham).      St. 

Charles. 

Until  1819,  Catholics  in  the 
vicinity  of  Hampton-on-the-Hill 
worshipped  at  Grove  Park,  the 
ancestral  seat  of  the  Lords  Dormer. 
In  the  above-named  year,  Charles 
Lord  Dormer  built  the  present 
chapel  at  Hampton-on-the-Hill, 
and  handed  it  over  to  the  V.A.  of 
the  Midland  District.  In  spite 
of  the  difficulties  of  the  time, 
Catholics  increased  very  consider 
ably  at  Hampton-on-the-Hill  during 
the  first  few  decades  of  the  nine 
teenth  century,  but  they  are  said 
to  have  lately  declined  owing  to 
Grove  Park  having  been  let  to  | 
protestant  tenants.  In  1860  the  j 
present  Catholic  chapel  was  founded 
at  Warwick  by  Mgr.  Longman, 


priest  of  Leamington,  then  incum 
bent  of  Hampton-on-the-Hill.1 

Priests  since  1820. 
Kev.  Francis  Turvile,  1820.  During 
his  rectorate  of  over  twenty 
years    the   old  chapel   was 
[enlarged,  1830. 
W.  Foley,  1841. 
D.  Bagnall,  1843. 
T.  Revill,  1847. 
W.  Ilsley,  1851. 
Mgr.  Thos.  Longman,  1853. 
Jn.  Gibbons,  here  in  1862. 
Charles  Hipwood,  1867. 
Charles  Kyder,  1872. 
J.  Robinson,  here  in  1874. 
A.  Delerue,  1879. 
Jos.  Daly,  1888  to  date. 


HAMPTON     WICK,     MIDDLESEX 

(Westminster).  The  Sacred  Heart 
of  Jesus. 

The  temporary  chapel  was 
opened  in  November  1882.  Canon 
George  Akers,  M.A.  (Oxon.)  was 
the  first  priest.  About  the  same 
time  he  hired  a  room  at  South 
Teddington  for  Mass  on  Sundays. 
The  extemporised  chapel  accom 
modated  about  150  persons.  In 
1893  a  large  '  oblong  church '  was 
opened  in  the  Teddington  Road. 
The  present  incumbent  is  Fr.  J. 
Hazell. 

N.B.— The  Hon.  Mrs.  Porter 
(Petre  ?),  who  lived  at  Hampton 
Wick  in  1734,  had  a  chapel  in  her 
house.  Her  chaplain  was  Fr. 
Peter  Brailsford,  a  Lisbonian. 

1  In  1742  it  was  decided  that  the 
incumbent  of  Grove  Park  must  say 
Mass  weekly  for  the  repose  of  the  soul 
of  Lady  Anne  Curson,  so  long  as  he 
received  the  alms.  In  1758  Fr.  Arnold, 
O.S.F.,  resided  here.  See  Thaddeus, 
Franciscans  in  England. 


202 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


HANDS  WORTH,  near  SHEF 
FIELD,  YORKS  (Leeds).  St.  Joseph. 

Mass  was  first  said  at  Hands- 
worth  in  1867,  and  in  1870  a  Catho 
lic  deaf  and  dumb  institution  was 
opened  in  the  parish.  After  its 
subsequent  removal  to  Boston  Spa, 
the  wooden  chapel  of  the  place  was 
used  by  Catholics  of  the  district. 
It  quickly  became  too  small,  and 
on  August  27,  1879,  the  first  stone 
of  the  new  church  was  laid  by  the 
Bishop  of  Leeds.  The  Duke  of 
Norfolk  generously  defrayed  the 
cost  of  erection — between  £'8,000 
and  i'9,000.  The  opening  took 
place  on  June  7,  1881.  The  style 
is  that  of  the  '  late  rectilinear 
period,'  like  that  of  the  old  parish 
churches  of  Eobherham  and  Laugh- 
ton.  There  is  also  a  crypt  with 
mortuary  chapel.  The  seating 
capacity  is  for  800  persons.  M.  E. 
Hadfield  &  Son  were  the  architects. 


HANLEY,  STAFFS  (Birming 
ham).  Our  Blessed  Lady  and  St. 
Patrick. 

In  1836  the  only  Catholic  chapels 
in  the  Potteries  were  at  Cobridge 
(built  1717)  and  Longton.  The 
priests  of  these  missions  served 
Hanley  alternately.  In  1860  the 
Catholic  population  was  2,000,  and 
in  June  the  same  year  the  first 
stone  of  the  new  church  was  laid 
by  Fr.  F.  Sullivan,  of  Kevel  Grange, 
and  the  building  was  opened  No 
vember  22.  1860.  The  style  is 
simple  Gothic,  and  the  total  cost 
was  about  £1,000.  The  accommo 
dation  is  for  800. 

N.B.— Hanley  Castle,  Hill  End, 
was  the  seat  of  the  ancient  Catho 
lic  family  of  Bartlett.  In  1765  Fr. 
Felix  Bartlett,  brother  of  the 


squire,  was  chaplain.     He  died  at 
Worcester  in  1777.1 

Priests. 
Kev.  W.  Molloy,  1861  till  1890. 

„    Jas.  B.  Keating,  1891. 

„    M.  O'Rourke,  M.R.,  1899. 


HANLEY,    STAFFS.     The  Sacred 
Heart. 

This  church  was  commenced 
August  1889,  and  opened  Septem 
ber  21,  1891.  It  has  been  since 
1893-4  the  chief  church  of  the  dis 
trict,  and  the  older  foundation  of 
Our  Lady  and  St.  Patrick  (q.v.)  are 
served  from  it. 
Rev.  M.  O'Rourke,  present  rector. 


HANWELL,  LONDON,  W.  (West 
minster).  Our  Lady  and  St. 
Joseph. 

A  chapel  was  opened  at  Clifton 
Lodge,  the  residence  of  Miss  Rab- 
nett,  May  1853.  The  present 
Gothic  church  was  opened  June 
1864  by  Cardinal  Wiseman,  on  a 
site  presented  by  Miss  Rabnett. 
E.  Pugin  was  the  architect.  A 
new  Lady  Chapel — the  gift  of  an 
anonymous  benefactor — was  opened 
December  11,  1904.  The  Catholic 
population  of  the  district  is  about 
800. 

Priests. 
Rev.  F.  Lang,  1853. 

John  Bonus,  D.D.,  1855. 

J.  Staples,  1860. 

Aemilian  Kirner,  1863. 

Francis  Laing,  D.D.,  1867. 

Henry  Karslake,  1890. 

C.  Clarke,  1893. 

Donald  Skrimshire,  1895. 

M.  Brannigan,  1905  to  date. 
Foley  Eecords,  Society  of  Jesus,  xii. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


203 


HARBERTON,  DEVON  (Ply. 
mouth),  St.  Rose  of  Lima. 

The  chapel  at  Dundridge  House, 
the  residence  of  Robt.  Harvey, 
Esq.,  was  blessed  by  Bishop 
Graham  on  Wednesday,  Septem 
ber  6,  1893.  Dom  Adam  Hamil 
ton,  O.S.B.,  preached  on  the 
triumph  of  the  Mass  against  all  its 
enemies  in  England  since  the  Re 
formation.  He  referred  to  the 
massacre  of  the  Devon  peasantry 
by  Lord  Russell's  German  troops 
for  defending  the  old  religion  in 
1549,  and  also  to  Dorothy  Risdon 
of  Harberton,  whose  estates  were 
confiscated  about  1640  for  her  ad 
herence  to  the  ancient  faith. 


HARBORNE,  near  BIRMINGHAM. 
St.  Mary. 

Mission  established  by  the  Pas- 
sionist  Fathers  1870.  In  1876  the 
church  attached  to  the  monastery 
or  '  Retreat '  was  opened. 


HARPENDEN,  HERTS  ( Westmin 
ster).  Our  Lady  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,  Rothamsted  Avenue. 

A  church  of  wood  and  iron  was 
blessed  and  opened  by  Canon  Car 
ter,  Sunday,  June  4,  1905.  Fr. 
Marten,  M.S.C.,  is  the  incumbent. 


HARRINGTON,        CUMBERLAND 

(Hexliam    and    Newcastle}.       St. 
Mary. 

A  school  chapel  was  opened  1874, 
and  the  present  Gothic  church 
May  14,  1893.  C.  Walker  was  the 
architect.  Seating  accommodation 
for  300.  In  September  1881  a 
stone  Calvary  was  erected  in  the 
adjacent  cemetery  to  the  memory 


of  Fr.  Francis  Wall,  an  Apostolic 
Franciscan  missioner   in   this  dis 
trict,   who  suffered    for    the    Faith 
August  15,  1679,  during  the  Titus 
Gates  plot.     The  mission  was  long 
served  from  Workington. 
Priests  (O.S.B.). 
Rev.  Francis  Hutchinson,  1885. 

„    Francis  Hickey,  1892. 

„    Austin  Firth,  1896  to  date. 


HARROGATE,      YORKS     (Leeds). 
Our  Lady  and  St.  Robert. 

Though  the  mineral  springs  of 
Harrogate  had  long  made  the  place 
one  of  the  fashionable  spas  of  Eng- 
j  land,  no  Catholic  chapel  was  esta 
blished  in  the  town  till  May  1861, 
j  when  Mass  was  said  for  the  first 
i  time  in  a  room  of  the  Crescent 
Hotel,  by  Fr.  F.  Goldie.  Before 
this,  the  nearest  mission  was  Stour- 
ton  Park,  the  seat  of  Lord  Mow- 
bray  and  Stourton.  In  September 
1864  a  school  chapel  and  presby 
tery,  were  opened.  The  present 
church  dates  from  1873.  A  site 
for  schools  was  acquired  1863,  and 
buildings  erected  shortly  after 
wards. 

Priests. 
Rev.  F.  Goldie,  1861  et  seq. 

„    Jas.  Glover,  here  in  1871. 

„    Michael  O'Donnell,  1877. 

,,    James  Downes,  1888. 

„    Wm.    Canon    Pope,    1889    to 
date. 


HARROW -ON -THE -HILL,  MID 
DLESEX  ( Westminster}.  Our  Lady 
and  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury. 

A  temporary  chapel  was  opened 
in  the  Roxborough  Road  1873,  and 
served  on  Sundays  by  the  late  Fr. 
Joseph  Redman,  D.D.,  professor  at 
St.  Thomas's  Seminary,  Hammer- 


204 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


smith.   The  new  church  was  opened 
1894.   The  stained-glass  window  in 
the  sanctuary  was  erected  by  Mr. 
and     Mrs.     Philip     Thornton,     of 
Douglas  Lodge,  to  the  memory  of 
their  five  children.     A  new  Gothic    j 
reredos    was  added   to  the    Lady    i 
Chapel  1900. 

N.B.— About  1793,  a  Catholic 
boys'  school  was  opened  in  the 
district  by  Fr.  Collins,  D.D.,  and 
removed  to  Southall  Park  1806. 
The  school  existed  till  about  1830, 
and  was  '  held  in  high  estimation.' 
Fr.  Jn.  Chetwode  Eustace,  author 
of  the  celebrated  '  Classical  Tour 
through  Italy,'  was  sometime  a 
master  here. 


HARROW  ROAD,   LONDON,  N.W. 

(Westminster}.        Our      Lady     of 
Lourdes  and  St.  Vincent  of  Paul. 

The  church  was  opened  in  Janu 
ary  1883.  The  cost  of  erection  was 
defrayed  by  the  Eev.  Lord  Archi 
bald  Douglas,  so  well  known  in  the 
cause  of  rescue  work.  The  style  is 
of  the  Transition  period,  between 
Early  English  and  Decorated.  J. 
Hall,  Esq.,  was  the  architect.  The 
stained  -  glass  windows  are  by 
Lavers,  Westlake,  and  Barraud. 
The  solemn  opening  of  the  church 
did  not  take  place  till  Tuesday, 
December  12,  1893,  when  the  debt 
on  the  building  had  been  paid  off. 
Cardinal  Vaughan  preached  on  this 
occasion.  Fr.  E.  Banns  is  the 
rector. 


HARTLEPOOL,  DURHAM  (Hex- 
ham  and  Neivcastle}.  The  Im 
maculate  Conception. 

In  1820  Mass  was  said  in  a  private 
house,  the  congregation  amounting, 
it  is  said,  to  only  six  persons.  In 


1832  Fr.  W.  Knight  was  appointed 
to  Hartlepool,  where  he  built  a 
small  chapel.  After  eighteen  years 
of  labour  in  the  district,  he  was  able 
to  purchase  the  site  of  a  new  church, 
and  in  June  1850  the  stone  was  laid 
by  Bishop  Hogarth.  The  style  is 
Early  English  Gothic,  the  seating 
capacity  being  for  900  persons.  The 
building  was  opened  in  1851  by 
Cardinal  Wiseman.  Fr.  Knight 
became  Canon  of  Hexham  the  next 
year,  and  served  the  mission  till 
his  death  in  March  1874. 

Priests  since  1874. 
Kev.  Francis  Moverley. 

„    Gerard  Van-Hoof,    1879   and 
to  date. 


HARVINGTON,  WORCESTER 
SHIRE  (Birmingham}.  St.  Mary. 

Harvington  Hall,  near  Kidder 
minster,  was  in  the  possession 
of  the  Packington  family,  temp. 
James  I.  The  estate  came  to  the 
Throckmortons  through  the  Yates, 
and  the  old  mansion  is  described 
as  possessing  a  curious  priests' 
hiding-place  under  the  staircase. 
Fr.  Sylvester  Jenks  was  chaplain 
to  the  Yates  family  here  from  1686 
to  about  1688,  when  James  II.  made 
him  one  of  his  preachers  and 
brought  him  to  London.  In  1713 
he  was  chosen  by  Propaganda  to 
be  Vicar  Apostolic  of  the  Northern 
District,  with  the  title  of  Bishop  of 
Callipolis,  in  partibus,  but  died 
before  consecration.  On  June  19, 
1832,  Fr.  Brownlow,  priest,  of  the 
mission,  was  unanimously  chosen  to 
preside  at  a  '  Reform  Gala  '  by  the 
local  Whig  association,  in  place  of 
the  Anglican  rector,  who  declined. 
The  church  was  handsomely 
decorated  with  medallions  of  the 
prophets,  and  a  wrought-iron  screen 
erected  November  1888.  The  Ven. 
John  Wall,  O.S.F.,  who  suffered 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


205 


for  the  Faith  at  Red  Hill,  near 
Worcester,  August  _  22,  1679, 
laboured  in  this  district.  A  stone 
Calvary  group  in  the  church  was 
blessed  by  Bishop  Ullathorne 
September  1881.  The  Rev.  Hugh 
Tootel,  alias  Chas.  Dodd,  wrote  his 
'  Church  History  '  while  a  priest 
here — from  1726  till  his  death  in 
1743. 

Priests  since  1794. 
Rev.  Rd.  Cornthwaite,  died  1803. 

„  J.  Brownlow,  1824. 

„  W.  H.  Wilson,  1877. 

„  Clement  Harris,  1885. 

„  Philip  Roskell,  1902  to  date. 


HARWICH,  ESSEX  (Westmin 
ster}.  Our  Lady  of  Mount  Carmel. 

A  chapel  was  opened  in '  an  upper 
room  '  of  10  King  Street  in  July 
1864.  The  '  dingy  and  worn  ' 
chasubles  in  use  were  described  as 
1  unfit  for  elsewhere.'  The  present 
G othic  church,  designed  by  E .  Pugin , 
was  opened  by  Archbishop  Manning 
November  3,  1869.  Confirmation 
was  first  administered  in  the  mis 
sion  by  Bishop  Weathers  March  23, 
1881. 

Piicsts. 
Rev.  Thos.  Parkinson,  1864. 

„     C.  Moncrieff  Smyth,  1879. 

„     John  Davis,  1882. 

„     Alf.  Roche,  1885. 

„     Joseph  0' Sullivan,  1888. 

„     Robt.  Kelly,  1889. 

„     Thos.  Walsh,  1901. 

„     T.  0' Sullivan,  1905  to  date. 


HASLINGDEN,  LANCS  (Salford). 

Fr.  Thos.  Marten  was  the  first 
resident  priest  at  Haslingtlen  since 
the  Reformation.  Mass  was  said 
there  in  '  a  wretched  garret '  in  the 


September  of  1854.  Catholics  then 
numbered  about  200.  The  beautiful 
silver  chalice  and  paten  used  in  the 
'  chapel '  were  the  gift  of  an  anony 
mous  benefactress.  After  several 
3Tears  Fr.  T.  Martin  and  his  parish 
ioners  contrived  to  erect  the  present 
church,  in  the  Gothic  style.  The 
first  stone  was  laid  Wednesday, 
June  22,  1859,  by  Bishop  Turner. 
The  same  year  the  edifice  was  com 
plete  (November  13).  The  number 
of  Catholics  at  the  time  of  opening 
was  about  1,400,  but  in  1864,  owing 
to  the  cotton  famine,  it  had  fallen 
to  1,050. 

Priests. 
Rev.  T.  Martin,  1854. 

„     M.  E.  Dillon,  1882. 

„     Michael  Buckley,  1895  to  date. 


HASSOP,  DERBYSHIRE  (Notting 
ham).  All  Saints. 

This  village  was  formerly  the 
principal  seat  of  the  ancient  Catholic 
family  the  Eyres  of  Hassop.  Fr. 
Godfrey  Cuffaud,  S.J.,  was  chaplain 
here  in  1672.  Two  of  the  Eyre 
family  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus 
— (a)  Thomas,  who  died  November  9, 
1715,  at.  45  ;  and  (b)  William,  \dio 
served  as  priest  in  the  Eastern 
Counties.  He  died  in  1724.  The 
last  of  the  Eyres  of  Hassop  died 
in  1853.  They  also  possessed 
Warkworth  Hall,  in  Northampton 
shire,  which  was  pulled  down  in 
1804,  and  the  estate  sold.  The 
family  is  now  represented  by  the 
Leslies  of  Slindon.  The  present 
mission  of  Hassop  dates  from  1818. 
Fr.  J.  Jones  was  then  resident 
priest.  He  served  the  mission  till 
1852,  when  Canon  Nickolds  suc 
ceeded.  He  celebrated  the  golden 
jubilee  of  his  priesthood  April  1885. 
In  September  1887,  through  the 
exertions  of  Fr.  McKey,  a  school 


200 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


was  opened  at  Hassop.  The  old 
schools  were  closed  about  1872. 
Fr.  McKey  did  much  to  beautify 
the  church,  adding  new  altar  rails, 
stations  of  the  Cross,  &c.  It  may 
be  interesting  to  note  that  the 
marble  altar  of  the  church  was  pre 
sented  by  the  Earl  of  Newburgh, 
who  died  in  1814. 

Priests  since  1889. 
Eev.  J.  Browne,  1889. 

„     W.  Baigent,  1896. 

„     J.  Young,  1903. 


HASTINGS,  SUSSEX  (Southward). 
Our  Lady  Star  of  the  Sea. 

The  Fathers  of  the  Pious  Society 
of  Missions  opened  a  temporary 
chapel  in  the  High  Street  in  March 
1881.  The  poet,  Coventry  Patmore, 
most  muniticently  gave  £'5,000  to 
wards  the  building  of  the  present 
church,  on  condition  that  a  similar 
sum  was  subscribed  by  the  Catholic 
public.  Mr.  Basil  Champneys  was 
the  architect.  The  total  cost  was 
about  £1,500.  The  handsome  oak 
rood  screen  was  given  to  the  church 
in  June  1883  by  Mr.  C.  Patmore,  in 
memory  of  his  only  son,  Henry, 
who  died  the  preceding  February. 
In  July  of  the  same  year  the  church 
was  opened  by  Bishop  Coffin,  of 
Southwark.  A  lofty  and  well-lighted 
crypt  runs  beneath  the  building. 


HATHEKSAGE,         DERBYSHIRE 

Nottingham).     St.  Michael. 

A  remote  populous  village  near 
the  Peak.  The  Furniss  family, 
resident  here  for  generations,  kept 
the  Faith  alive  throughout  the  penal 


times.  The  author  was  informed 
by  the  late  Fr.  H.  Furniss,  of 
the  Josephite  Congregation,  that 
during  the  times  of  persecution  a 
priest  disguised  as  a  prosperous 
yeoman  used  to  visit  his  family  at 
stated  intervals.  Mass  was  said  in 
the  best  room  of  the  farmhouse, 
and  here  the  proscribed  missioner 
would  spiritually  counsel  and  in 
struct  the  few  Catholics  of  the  dis 
trict.  The  present  chapel,  a  square- 
shaped  Classical  building  for  about 
100  persons,  was  opened  in  1806. 
The  Eyre  family  also  had  a  mansion 
and  chapel  in  this  district  (at 
North  Sees),  both  of  which  were 
plundered  by  Orange  mobs  at  the 
Ee  volution. 

Priests  since  1825. 
Rev.  Edward  Eyre. 

John  Ross,  1837. 

B.  Hulme,  1849. 

Edward  Whitehouse,  1853. 

M.  Le  Dreau,  1855. 

Joseph  Canon  Daniel,  1867. 

Hugh  O'Neill,  1879. 

Thos.  McNamee,  1883. 

Henry    Geo.    Canon   Dobson, 

here  in  1889  to  date. 
N.B.— At  Padley  Hall,  Hather- 
sage,  the  then  residence  of  John 
Fitzherbert,  Esq.,  Fr.  Nicholas 
Garlick,  priest,  was  arrested,  Janu 
ary  1587.  He  was  concealed  in  '  a 
buttress-like  chimney '  near  the 
chapel,  but  was  betrayed  by  John, 
son  of  his  patron,  Thomas  Fitz 
herbert.  Thomas  was  imprisoned, 
and  only  saved  by  his  son-in-law, 
Thos.  Eyre,  Esq., paying  the  Queen 
(Elizabeth)  £20,000  as  ransom. 
Fr.  Garlick  was  executed  at  Derby 
together  with  Frs.  Ludlam  and 
Simpson,  July  24,  1588,  '  for  being 
ordained  by  authority  of  the  Holy 
See  and  coming  into  the  country.' 
— Nicholas  Garlick,  martyr,  by 
the  Rev.  Edward  King,  S.J.  (Burns 
&  Gates,  1904).: 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC    MISSIONS 


207 


HATTON  GARDEN,  LONDON, 
W.C.  (Westminster).  St.  Peter. 

The  Italian  Church.  This  fine 
structure  is  mainly  due  to  the  late 
Eevs.  Joseph  Faa  di  Bruno  and 
Raphael  Melia,  who  collected  up 
wards  of  £15,000  for  its  erection. 
The  edifice  is  in  the  Roman  Basilica 
style.  The  altar  is  adorned  with 
columns  of  black  and  white  marble 
and  figures  of  the  four  Evangelists. 
The  church,  which  was  opened 
April  16,  1863,  can  accommodate 
about  3,400  persons.  The  interior  of 
the  church  was  beautifully  decorated 
in  April  1886  by  Signers  Arnaud  and 
Gauthier.  The  sanctuary  was  em 
bellished  with  paintings  of  the 
Holy  Trinity,  Our  Lady,  and  the 
four  Doctors  of  the  Latin  Church. 
The  roof  of  the  nave  is  painted  with 
a  picture  of  St.  Peter  bearing  the 
Keys  and  Cross.  The  solemn  re 
opening  of  the  church  was  celebrated 
on  Sunday,  May  16,  1886 ;  Bishop 
Patterson,  of  Ernmaus,  preached. 


HAUNTON,  TAMWORTH,  STAFFS 

(Birmingha7n).     SS.    Michael  and 
James. 

Till  this  mission  became  an  in 
dependent  one,  in  1862, it  was  served 
by  the  Dominicans  of  Hinckley. 
The  first  chapel  was  built  at  the 
expense  of  C.  E.  Mousley,  Esq., 
and  opened  July  28,  1863.  The 
present  church  was  built  between 
1901-2  by  Mr.  Pye,  of  Clifton 
Hall.  The  style  is  Early  English, 
the  materials  used  being  Hollington 
stone.  A  quaint  porch  adorns  the 
north  end,  and  an  oak  bell-turret  the 
west  gable. 


HAVANT,  HANTS   (Portsmouth). 
St.  Joseph. 

Tho  mission  was  started  at  Breek- 


hampton,near  here,  in  1730.  Fr.  Jn. 
Frankland,  a  Lisbonian,  was  priest 
here  1734-42.  He  was  the  author 
of  '  A  Memorial  of  a  Clerical  and 
Missionary  Life  '  (MS.),  and  died 
in  London  July  16,  1752.  The 
chapel  was  erected  1790.  The  Sone 
family  were  the  chief  supporters  of 
the  mission,  and  one  of  them,  Mr. 
John  Sone,  a  wealthy  miller,  gave 
Bishop  Douglass,  V.A.L.D.,  £10,000 
to  wards  the  building  of  St.  Edmund' s 
College  (1795).  Catholics  numbered 
150  in  1810.  The  old  chapel  was 
replaced  by  a  Norman  church  for 
240  persons  1839.  A  third  structure 
was  erected  1875.  Adjoining  the 
church  is  a  Catholic  cemetery. 

Priests  since  1824. 
Rev.  Jos.  Kimbell. 

Jn.  Kearns,  1826. 

D.  Donovan,  1853. 
A.  Retort,  1855. 

E.  Reardon,  1867. 
W.  Stone,  1884. 

Jn.  Horegan,  here  in  1871. 
Joseph  Hayes,  M.R.,  1895. 
Albert  Clarke,  M.R.,  1903  to 
date. 


HAWKESYARD,  near  RUGELEY, 
STAFFS  (Birmingham).  St.  Tho 
mas's  Priory. 

A  Dominican  priory  and  church 
were  erected  here  in  1894,  but  the 
latter  was  not  consecrated  till  July 
1899.  A  fine  modern  example  of  the 
fifteenth-century  Perpendicular  re- 
redos  was  inaugurated  Sunday, 
December  23,  1900.  This  orna 
mental  addition  to  the  church  was 
the  gift  of  Miss  Gulson. 


HAYDOCK,  ST.  HELENS,  LANCS 

(Liverpool). 

The  school  chapel,  in  honour  of 


208 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


the  English  martyrs,  was  opened 
August  10,  1879,  and  till  1887  was 
served  from  Blackburn.  In  that 
year,  a  presbytery  was  erected 
'  through  the  energy  and  self- sacri 
fice  '  of  Fr.  E.  O'Sullivan.  As  far 
back  as  November  1892  a  fund  for 
building  a  new  church  was  started 
by  Fr.  W.  Moore,  and  when  erected 
the  edifice  will  stand  in  a  district 
where  once  laboured  Fr.  Edmund 
Arrowsmith,  S.J.,  who  died  for  the 
Faith  at  Lancaster  August  28, 
1628.  Fr.  T.  Walmsley  is  the  pre 
sent  incumbent. 


HAYDON  BRIDGE,  NORTH 
UMBERLAND  (Hexliam  and  New 
castle).  St.  John  of  Beverley. 

In  1860  a  large  number  of  Catho 
lics  were  attracted  to  the  district 
owing  to  the  increasing  importance 
of  the  brass  and  iron  foundries 
established  in  the  town.  In  1861 
a  temporary  chapel  was  opened 
here  by  Fr.  Francis  Kirsopp,  of 
Haltwhistle,  from  which  mission 
Haydon  Bridge  was  served  once  a 
month.  A  school  chapel  was  erected 
in  1873. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Nicholas  Darnell,  1873. 

„     Henry  Brettargh,  1885. 

„     Peter  Perrin,  1892. 

„     Geo.  Silvertop,  1903  to  date. 


HAYWARDS  HEATH,  SUSSEX 
(Southward).  Priory  of  Our  Lady 
of  Good  Counsel. 

On  Monday,  May  5, 1890,  Bishop 
Butt,  of  Southwark,  solemnly 
blessed  the  first  stone  of  the  con 
vent  church.  The  convent  is  an 
affiliation  of  the  English  Convent 
of  Nazareth  at  Bruges,  connected 
with  the  old  convent  at  Louvain 


for  English  ladies,  founded  in  1609. 
The  first  superioress  of  this  latter 
foundation  was  Mother  Margaret 
Clement,  daughter  of  Margaret 
Giggs,  the  adopted  daughter  of  the 
Blessed  Thomas  More.  The  nuns  of 
Bruges  fled  to  England  in  1794 
during  the  invasion  of  the  Low 
Countries  by  the  French,  and  were 
hospitably  received  by  Sir  Rook- 
wood  Gage,  Bart.,  at  Hengrove 
Hall.  In  1802,  they  returned  to 
Bruges.  The  convent  at  Haywards 
Heath  was  established  in  1886. 
The  first  chapel  of  the  community 
was  a  room  in  the  house,  where 
Mass  was  said  by  their  chaplain, 
Fr.  L.  Laevens.  The  handsome 
Gothic  church  which  has  taken  its 
place  is  open  to  the  public.  The 
nuns  recite  the  Divine  office  daily 
in  choir,  and  also  attend  to  the 
education  of  a  limited  number  of 
young  ladies. 


HAZELWOOD,  YORKS  (Leeds}. 
St.  Leonard. 

Sir  Thos.  Vavasour,  of  Hazel- 
wood  Hall,  so  distinguished  himself 
in  raising  troops  against  the  Span 
ish  Armada  that  Queen  Elizabeth 
'  would  never  suffer  the  chapel  at 
Hazelwood  to  be  molested  where 
the  Roman  Catholic  rites  still  con 
tinue  to  be  celebrated.'  In  spite 
of  this  temporary  protection,  the 
family  were  great  sufferers  during 
the  penal  times  for  the  Faith,  Wm. 
Vavasour,  Esq.,  being  imprisoned 
and  fined  for  having  a  priest  in  his 
house.  Several  members  of  the 
house  were  priests  or  nuns,  and 
one  of  the  family,  Major  Thomas 
Vavasour,  fell  at  MarstonMoor  1644, 
ex  parte  rcgis.1  A  baronetcy  was 

1  Among  the  priests  of  the  family 
were:  Fr.  Francis  Vavasour,  Franciscan, 
1672 ;  Henry  Vavasour,  died  at  Antwerp 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


209 


conferred  on  the  family  1628.  Dur 
ing  the  Gates  plot,  1679-80,  one  of 
the  family,  Jn.  Vavasour,  Esq.,  was 
prosecuted  for  publicly  denying  the 
fabrication.  We  have  conie  upon 
but  few  facts  relating  to  the  mis 
sion.  The  chapel  is  a  pre-Reforma- 
tion  one,  and  dates  from  1290 ;  the 
registers  only  from  1772. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Win.  Daniel,  1772. 

James  Melling,  1780. 

Wm.  Chew,  1806. 

Robt.  Tate,  1832. 

J.  C.  Fisher,  1840. 

Robt.  Canon  Tate,  1853. 

Michael  Fryer,  1863. 

Philip  Vavasour,  1866. 

Xavier  de  Vacht,  1874. 

Augustin  Collingwood,  1877. 

Gustave  Thonon,  1885. 

John  Bradley,  1892. 
Mission   served  from    Tadcaster 
since  1898. 


HEATON  NORRIS,  LANGS  (Sal- 
ford). 

The  district,  like  the  other 
'  Heatons  '  of  Lancashire,  is  said 
to  have  given  its  name  to  the 
ancient  Catholic  family  of  Heaton, 
the  owners  of  Lastock  Hall  (q.v .). 
This  mansion  was  taken  from  them 
by  a  ruse  of  the  Andertons,  who  in 
turn  lost  the  property  for  their 
share  in  the  rising  of  1715.  The 
mission,  however,  is  purely  modem. 
The  first  chapel,  opened  August  18, 
1867,  did  duty  till  the  erection  of 
the  existing  church,  in  the  Gothic 
style,  opened  by  Bishop  Bilsborrow 
in  1897. 

1660;  Fr.  Wm.  Vavasour,  S.J.,  alias 
Thwinge,  died  1683.  Among  the  nuns 
were  :  Theresa  Vavasour,  Abbess  of  St. 
Clare  at  Rouen,  died  1779  ;  Mary,  Abbess 
at  Brussels,  1660,  &c.,  &c. 


Priests. 

Rev.  Jn.  Tracy,  1867. 
„     Wm.  Malone,  1874. 
„     Michael  Morris,  1877. 
„     Francis  Reichart,  1885  to  date. 


HEBBURN,  DURHAM.     St.  Aloy- 

sius. 

Founded  1871.  This  mission  is 
due  to  Fr.  Geo.  Meynell  (1817-97). 
The  present  church  was  opened  in 
1888. 

Priests. 
Rev.  James  Corboy,  1871. 

„     Peter  Ward,  1879. 

„     Matthew  Toner,  D.D.,  1882  to 
date. 


HEBDEN         BRIDGE,         YORK3 

(Leeds).      St.  Thomas   of    Canter 
bury. 

Mission  commenced  from  Hali 
fax  in  1885,  and  served  by  the 
priests  there  till  1889,  when  the  pre 
sent  rector,  Fr.  Max.j,Tillmann,  was 
appointed.  The  small  but  sufficient 
church  was  opened  in  1897. 


HECKMONDWIKE,       YORKS 

(Leeds). 

In  1859  Fr.  O'Leary,  of  Dews- 
bury,  finding  a  large  number  of 
poor  Catholics  engaged  in  the  wool 
len  and  carpet  manufactures  in  the 
town,  hired  a  room  for  a  chapel. 
It  continued  to  be  served  from  the 
parent  mission  till  about  1870, 
when  Fr.  Stephen  Dolan  was  ap 
pointed.  A  school  chapel  was 
erected  1873.  Subsequent  rectors  : 
Rev.  Thos.  Parkin,  1885. 

„     D.  O' Sullivan,  1890. 

„     Patrick  Hickey,  1898. 

„     Joseph  Russell,  1903  to  date. 
P 


210 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


HEDON,  near  HULL,  YORKS 
(Middlesbrough).  SS.  Mary  and 
Joseph. 

The  chapel  was  built  in  1803  by 
Fr.  Joseph  Swinburne,  who  .  re 
ceived  a  sum  of  money  for  the 
purpose  from  Francis  Constable, 
Esq.  Fr.  Swinburne  was  at  Douai 
at  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  and 
was  among  the  number  of  English 
students  imprisoned  at  Dourlens. 
Ordained  at  Crook  Hall  in  1800, 
he  resided  as  pastor  at  Hedon  till 
1838,  when  he  retired  to  a  small 
house  near  the  chapel.  His  suc 
cessor  was  Fr.  W.  Parsons. 

Priests. 
Rev.  J.  Swinburne,  1800. 

W.  Parsons,  1838. 

Hy.  Newsham,  1840. 

Wm.  Parsons,  1844. 

Robt.  Canon  Tate,  D.D.,  1852. 

J.  C.  Fisher,  1854. 

John  Leadbitter,  1885. 

David  Smith,  1889  to  date. 


HEMSWORTH,    YORKS     (Leeds). 

Mission   served  from    Ackworth 
1893-5. 

Priests. 
Rev.  J.  Speet,  1896. 

„     L.  Leteux,  1898  to  date. 


HENDON,  LONDON,  N.W.  (West 
minster).  Our  Lady  of  Dolours. 

The  first  stone  was  laid  in  July 
1861  by  Dr.  Morris,  Bishop  of 
Troy.  Mgr.  Manning  preached  on 
the  occasion.  It  was  opened  for 
worship  in  1862.  The  high  altar 
was  erected  and  the  walls  of  the 
nave  decorated  with  paintings  from 
the  designs  of  Mr.  Redmond  Doran 
September  1865. 


Priests. 

Rev.  Mgr.  Edward  Clifford,  1861. 
„     Geo.  Carter,  here  in  1871  and 
to  date. 


HENLEY-ON-THAMES,  OXFORD 
SHIRE  (Birmingham). 

For  some  remarks  on  the  early 
history  of  Catholicity  in  this  dis 
trict,  see  STONOR.  In  1888  a  mis 
sion-house,  No.  6  Caxton  Terrace, 
was  acquired  as  chapel  and  pres 
bytery,  and  placed  under  the  care  of 
Fr.  J.  Bacchus,  the  present  rector. 


HEREFORD,      HEREFORDSHIRE 

(Newport).     St.  Francis  Xavier. 

In  the  reign  of  James  I.  '  Fawn 
Hope,'  an  old  mansion  a  few  miles 
south-east  of  Hereford,  was  the 
occasional  resting-place  of  a  few 
missionary  priests.  During  the 
course  of  1626,  the  then  Bishop  of 
Hereford  was  instructed  to  effect 
the  arrest  of  George  Berrington, 
O.S.B.,  and  Geo.  Hanmer,  S.J., 
'  two  Romish  priests  who  do  lurk 
near  Hereford.'  Both  priests, 
however,  escaped  the  pursuivants, 
the  former,  Fr.  Berrington,  sur 
viving  till  May  1664.  Fr.  Walter 
Kemble,  O.S.B. — a  relative  of  the 
martyr  Fr.  John  Kemble — died  at 
Fawn  Hope  in  1633.  The  first 
Catholic  chapel  at  Hereford  since 
the  Reformation  was  built  by  Fr. 
Wm.  Home,  1790,  and  licensed  by 
order  of  Quarter  Sessions  Octo 
ber  17,  1791.  This  structure  was 
in  Broad  Street,  and  continued  '  as 
a  public  chapel  or  place  of  worship 
for  the  exercise  of  the  Popish  re 
ligion  '  till  1838,  when  the  Jesuits 
built  the  present  handsome  church, 
in  the  Classical  style,  at  a  cost  of 
over  £16,000.  The  architect  was 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


211 


Mr.  C.  Bay,  but  the  splendid  high 
altar  is  the  work  of  Fr.  Geo.  Jen 
kins,  S.J.  The  congregation  num 
bered  400  in  1856. 

Priests  of  the  Mission. 
Fr.  Wm.  Clarke,  S.J.  (died  at  Here 
ford    February    6,    1734,  fet. 
65). 

„   T.  Butler,  S.J.   (died  at  Here 
ford  1774). 

Hon.  and  Kev.  John  Butler,  S.J. 
(Lord  Cahir)  (died  1786, 
at.  59). 

Fr.  Wm.  Home,  S.J.  (died  Novem 
ber  13,  1799). 

„    Wm.   Anderton  (died    Septem 
ber  28,  1823). 
W.  Gotham,  1823. 
Lovet,  1828. 
Hy.  Brigham,  1830. 
Kichard  Boyle,  1836. 
Wm.  Waterworth,  1843. 
Francis  Jarrett,  1855. 
W.  Scarisbrick,  O.S.B.,  1858. 
Bev.  F.  V.  Canon  Spears,  1862. 
„    Chas.  Dolman,  O.S.B.,  here  in 
1875  to  date. 


HERNE  BAY,  KENT.  Our  Lady 
of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

The  foundation  stone  of  the 
Passionist  Church  was  laid  in  June 
1889,  and  the  building  was  solemnly 
dedicated  by  Bishop  Butt,  of  South- 
wark,  Thursday,  June  26,  1890. 
The  style  is  Early  Gothic,  the  seat 
ing  capacity  of  the  church  being 
for  400  persons.  The  sermon  on 
the  occasion  of  the  opening  was 
preached  by  Canon  Murnane,  who 
took  for  his  subject  '  Christ  Cruci 
fied.'  The  church  was  consecrated 
August  10, 1897. 


HERNE     HILL,     LONDON,    S.E. 

SS.  Philip  and  James. 
A  plain  Romanesque  church,   in 


Poplar  Walk,  was  opened  the  end 
of  May  1906.  Fr.  James  Loner  - 
gan,  late  of  Eltham,  is  the  rector. 


HERONS    GHYLL,    SUSSEX.     St. 

John's. 

A  chapel,  with  elementary  school 
attached,  was  solemnly  opened  on 
Sunday,  October  3,  1880.  The 
buildings  were  the  munificent  gift 
of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk.  The 
present  church,  in  the  Early  Eng 
lish  style,  was  erected  in  1897,  and 
consecrated  September  7,  1904,  by 
Bishop  Amigo,  of  Southwark.  The 
building  stands  on  the  estate  of 
Jas.  Hope-Scott,  Esq.,  M.P.,  who 
defrayed  the  cost  of  erection. 


HERTFORD  (Westminster}.  The 
Immaculate  Conception  and  St. 
Joseph. 

The  site  of  this  church,  which 
stands  on  that  of  the  old  Benedic 
tine  Priory  of  St.  Mary's,  was 
acquired  in  August  1858.  The 
mission,  which  was  started  in  the 
autumn  of  the  same  year  by  Fr.  Her 
bert,  afterwards  Cardinal  Vaughan, 
was  at  the  time  of  its  foundation 
the  only  one  in  the  county  after  St. 
Edmund's,  Old  Hall.  At  first,  Mass 
was  said  in  a  stable  loft,  the  num 
ber  of  Catholics  being  about  3t'0. 
The  stone  of  the  present  church 
was  laid  October  18,  1858,  by 
Cardinal  Wiseman.  The  conse 
cration  of  the  building  by  Arch 
bishop  Manning  took  place  on 
Friday,  October  16,  1866,  amidst  a 
distinguished  Catholic  gathering. 
The  mission  of  Hertford  is  greatly 
indebted  to  Fr.  Francis  Stanfield, 
who  collected  funds  for  the  build 
ing  of  the  church  and  otherwise 
consolidated  the  good  work  ini 
tiated  by  Fr.  Vaughan. 


212 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


HETHE,  OXON.  (Birmingham). 
Holy  Trinity. 

The  Fermors  of  Hethc  House, 
Tusmore,  in  this  parish  were  long 
the  mainstay  of  Catholicity  in  this 
district.  Like  the  rest  of  the 
Catholic  nobility  and  gentry,  they 
endured  constant  persecution  for 
the  old  religion.  The  old  mansion 
contained  an  ingenious  hiding-place 
for  the  priest,  the  entrance  to 
which  was  a  trapdoor  concealed  by 
a  dummy  window-sill.  The  last 
of  the  family,  Wm.  Fermor,  Esq., 
died  November  28,  1828,  aged  fifty- 
seven.  The  estate  passed  to  protes- 
tants,  and  the  chapel  was  closed. 
The  last  chaplain  there  was  Fr. 
Corbishley.  A  new  mission  was 
then  started  by  Fr.  A.  Maguire, 
who  appealed  to  the  public  for 
funds,  and  so  successfully  that  the 
present  chapel  was  opened,  May  22, 
1832,  by  Bishop  Walsh.  A  large 
congregation  attended,  upwards  of 
£J62  being  subscribed  towards  the 
building  fund. 

Priests. 
Kev.  Alfred  Maguire,  1831. 

,,    Joseph  Robson,  1847. 

„    P.  Sweeny,  here  in  1872. 

„    J.  Bonner,  1888  to  date. 


HEXHAM,     NORTHUMBERLAND 

(Hexham    and    Newcastle}.        St. 
Mary. 

A  mission  has  long  been  in 
existence  here.  In  1687  a  Francis 
can  residence  was  established  under 
the  title  of  St.  Anthony  of  Padua. 
Mr.  Ben  Carr,  a  gentleman  residing 
in  the  town,  gave  the  site.  The 
presides  or  superiors  in  succession 
were : 

Fr.  Geo.  Golding,  1687-95. 
„   Geo.  Goodyer,  1695. 

Bernardine  Metcalfe,  1698. 


Fr.  Constantino  Jackson,  1701. 

„   B.  Metcalfe,  1717. 

,,    Gregory  Jones,  1719. 

„   Bonaventure  Hutchinson,  1725. 

,   Peter  Gordon,  1729. 

,   B.  Metcalfe,  1731. 

,   Pacificus  Baker,  1734. 

,   Lawrence  Robinson,  1737. 

,   Bernard  Yates,  1743. 

,   P.  Gordon,  1746. 

,   B.  Hutchinson,  1749. 

,   Leo  Francis,  1752. 

,   Paul  Dixon,  1758. 

,   Eobt.  Painter,  1761. 

,   Bernard  Yates,  1764. 

,   Henry  Bishop,  1767. 

,   Joachim  Arnold,  1770. 

,   Alexius  Whalley,  1771. 

,  Chas.  Juliaeus,  1773. 

,   Thos.  Cottrell,  1776. 

,    Hy.  Bishop,  1779. 

,   Bruno  Babe,  1781. 

,   Lawrence  Hall,  1782. 

,   Angelas  Eavenhill,  1791. 

,    Bernardine  Fleet,  1793. 

,   Andrew  "Weetman,  1794. 

,   Paschal  Harrison,  1800. 

,   Alex.  Whalley,  1805. 

,   Thos.  Cottrell,  1806. 

,   Alex.  Whalley,  1808. 

,  B.  Fleet,  1809-12. 
No  further  appointments. 
Concerning  the  early  history  of 
the  secular  mission  of  Hexharn  we 
have  not  been  able  to  obtain  any  in 
formation.  Fr.  Geo.  Gibson  was 
here  about  1751.  He  also  assisted 
many  of  the  Catholics  about  Naffer- 
ton,  and  in  order  to  give  employment 
to  a  number  of  poor  boys  and  girls 
of  the  district  established  a  woollen 
spinning  manufactory  at  Hexham. 
This  excellent  priest  died  at  Hex- 
ham  December  3,  1778,  'univer 
sally  regretted.'  In  1762  he  was 
assisted  for  a  short  time  by  Fr.  N. 
Leadbitter,  O.P.,  and  afterwards  by 
Fr.  Francis  Houghton,  of  the  same 
Order.  Long  before  this  the  priest 
at  Hexham  was  '  Mr.  Thompson,' 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


213 


who  resided  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
Ilymer,  a  merchant  of  the  town, 
about  1716.  Fr.  Aug.  Noel  died 
1812. 


HEYWOOD,  LANCS  (Salford).  St. 
Joseph. 

Mission  inaugurated  1854 ;  church 
opened  by  Bishop  Turner  185 G. 
Catholic  population,  2,200. 

Priests. 
Eev.  E.  Hubbersty,  1854. 

,,    Arthur  MacCann,  1855. 

„    Wm.  Bradley,  1892. 

„    C.  W.  Poole,"  1898  to  date. 


HIGHGATE,  LONDON,  N.  (West 
minster).     St.  Joseph's  Eetreat. 

On  January  29, 1849,  Fr.  Ivers,  of 
St.  Alexis'  Church,  Kentish  Town, 
gave  a  lecture  on  Catholic  doctrine 
at  17  High  Street,  Highgate,   but 
the  meeting  was  broken  up  by  '  a 
vile    rabble.'      In   June    1858,  the 
Passionist  Fathers  acquired  a  house 
and  site  for  a  church  in  Highgate, 
which  was  commenced  in  1860.   In 
January  1859  the  temporary  chapel 
was  already  too  small  for  the  wants 
of  the    congregation.     The  church 
was  completed  in  1863,  and  hand 
somely  decorated  August- Septem 
ber  1880,  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
A.  Vicars.     On  Sunday,  August  28, 
1887,  a  meeting  of  gentlemen  of  the 
congregation,  presided  over  by  Fr. 
Gerrard,  C.P.,  was  held  to  consider 
the  subject  of  a  new  church.     It  was 
unanimously  resolved  that  '  a  new 
church  be  built,  and  that  an  iron 
building  be  used  for  worship  till  it 
should  be  completed.'     In  1863  the 
Catholics   of    Highgate    comprised 
forty-three   families  ;    and  in  1886 
the  Catholic  population  amounted 
to     1,500,     notwithstanding     that 


missions  had  been  opened  at  Hen- 
don,  Finchley,  and  other  places 
formerly  served  by  St.  Joseph's. 
When  the  present  church  was  com 
menced,  Pope  Leo  XIII.  '  signed 
with  his  own  hand  a  special  Bene 
diction  for  all  who  helped  in  the 
good  work.'  The  building  was 
opened  in  September  1889.  It  pro 
vides  seating  accommodation  for 
1,000  persons.  On  each  side  of  the 
nave  are  processional  aisles  6  ft. 
wide.  There  are  six  side  chapels. 
The  dome,  walls,  and  ceiling  are 
richly  painted  with  scenes  from  the 
Sacred  Passion,  death  of  St.  Joseph, 
&c.,  the  latter  by  M.  Laby.  The  high 
altar  was  exhibited  at  the  Paris 
Exhibition  of  1889. 


HIGH  WYCOMBE,  BUCKS  (North- 
am2)ton).  St.  Augustine  Arch 
bishop  of  England. 

Fr.  Herbert  Beale,  of  Dawsfield, 
commenced  this  mission  in  Sep 
tember  1889.  On  Sunday  evening, 
September  21,  of  that  year,  he  gave 
a  lecture  on  '  Eoman  Catholics  '  in 
the  South  Bucks  Auction  Mart  to  a 
large  audience,  almost  entirely  pro- 
testant.  The  lecture  was  much 
appreciated.  Mass  was  said  for 
the  first  time  in  a  room  fitted  up 
as  a  chapel  on  Sunday,  Novem 
ber  10,  1889.  The  chalice  used  by 
Fr.  Beale  was  a  jubilee  offering  to 
Pope  Leo  XIII.,  who  gave  it  to  the 
Bishop  of  Northampton  for  mission 
ary  purposes.  The  church,  in  the 
Perpendicular  Gothic  style,  was 
opened  recently.  Fr.  J.  Flint  is 
the  present  rector. 


HINCKLEY,        LEICESTERSHIRE 

(Nottingham).     St.  Peter's  Priory. 
The  domestic  chapel  of  the  Tur- 


214 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC    MISSIONS 


villcs  at  Aston  Flamvillc  Hall,  near 
Hinckley,  served  the  mission  during 
the  penal  times.     Fr.  J.  Clarkson, 
O.P.,  was  priest  here  from  1734  to 
1747,  and  again  from  1757-8.     Fr. 
Mat.  Norton,  also  a  Dominican,  who 
was    here   in    1759,   removed    the 
mission  to  Hinckley  in  1765.    When 
the  Revolution  drove   the  English 
Dominicans    from   Bornhem  (Bel 
gium)  to  England  Hinckley  became  a 
priory.    Fr.  C.  Caestrick,  O.P.,  built 
a  chapel  on  a  scale  then  considered 
'preposterously   large.'       The  pre 
sent  church  and  priory  were  erected 
1824-5.     Till  1852  the  house  was  a 
school  for  Catholic  boys.     In   1885 
it  was  reconstituted  as  the  Domini 
can    novitiate.     A   tower,    chancel, 
and    sacristies    were  added  to  the 
church  the  same  year. 


HINDLEY,  WIGAN,  LANCS  (Liver 
pool).  St.  Benedict. 

The  mission  commenced  in  1727 
in  a  chapel  at  Lowe  Hall.  It  was 
removed  to  Strangeways  1773.  In 
1789  Peter  and  Nicholas  Marsh, 
father  and  son,  subscribed  a  hand 
some  sum  for  the  establishment  of 
a  new  mission  at  Hindley.  In  con 
sideration  of  the  gift,  the  Marsh 
family  was  assigned  seats  near  the 
altar  rails.  The  family  is  now 
represented  by  the  Marsh- Carrs. 
The  chapel,  with  various  additions 
and  improvements,  served  down  to 
]To9,  when  the  present  church  was 
opened. 

Priests. 
Kev.  Eowland  Lacon,  1789. 

Thos.  Appleton,  — . 

Wm.  Corlett,  1837. 

Richard  Cyprian  Tyrer,  1863. 

John  Brown,  here  in  1871. 

John  Cuthbert  Murphy,  1874. 

Francis  Hickey,  1882. 

James  Sanders,  1888, 


Rev.  John  Cody,  1890. 
„    Arthur  O'Hare,  1892. 
„    Hubert  Murphy,  1893. 
„    Geo.  Clarke,  1895  to  date. 


HITCHIN,  HERTS  (Westmin 
ster). 

This  mission  was  commenced  by 
the  Fathers  of  the  Institute  of  St. 
Andrew  at  Barnet,  who  opened  a 
temporary  chapel  here  at  46  Old  Park 
Road  in  1893.  The  present  church, 
in  the  Nightingale  Road,  was  opened 
in  1902.  The  same  year  Cardinal 
Vaughan  gave  the  charge  of  the 
district  to  the  congregation  of  St. 
Edmund  of  Pontigny,  Fr.  T.  M. 
Aubin  being  the  first  and  present 
superior. 


HODDESDON,  HERTS  (Westmin 
ster).  St.  Monica's  Priory. 

For  some  notice  of  the  English 
Augustiniaii  Canonesses  Regular  of 
St.  John  Lateran,  see  NEWTON  AB 
BOT.  In  1886  a  house  of  the  Order  was 
established  at  South  Mimms,  near 
Barnet.  In  1898  Rawdon  House, 
Hoddesdon,  was  acquired,  and  the 
community  removed  to  here  from 
South  Mimms  the  same  year.  The 
Rev.  E.  Tunstall  is  the  chaplain. 


HOLBORN,  LONDON,  W.C.  (West 
minster).  St.  Etheldreda's,  Ely 
Place. 

John  de  Kirkeby,  Bishop  of  Ely 
1286-90,  left  by  will  to  his  suc 
cessors  '  a  messuage  '  in  the  parish 
of  St.  Andrew's,  Holborn.  During 
the  episcopate  of  William  de  Luda, 
who  came  after  him,  the  chapel  of 
Ely  Place  was  built,  between  1290 
and  1299.  The  London  palace  of 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


215 


the  Bishops  of  Ely,  which  adjoined, 
was  frequently  the  scene  of  sump 
tuous  feasts,  given  during  term  time 
to  such  personages  as  the  serjeants- 
at-law,    benchers    of    Gray's   Inn, 
&c.     In  the  cloisters  of  Ely  Place, 
Henry  VIII.  is  said  to  have  first 
met  Cranmer.     After  the  Reforma 
tion,  the  palace  was  little  used  by  the 
protestant  occupants  of  the  See  of 
Ely,  and,  with  the  chapel,  was  leased 
about  1608  to  Gondomar,  the  famous 
Spanish   ambassador.      Mass   was 
once   more   restored,   to   the  great 
delight  of  the  persecuted  Catholics 
of  London.     Here  died  the  saintly 
Louisa  de  Caravajal,  who  left  her 
country,  Spain,  to  assist  the  long- 
suffering  faithful  in  England  ;  and 
here,   too,    was    celebrated    before 
James   I.,    Gondomar,    and    their 
suites,  the   last   passion  play  ever 
given  in  England.     Bishop  Wren, 
of  Ely,  uncle  of  the  famous  archi 
tect,  suffered  a   long   confinement 
from  1640  to  1660  at  Ely  Place  for 
introducing  Catholic  practices  into 
his    diocese.      In    1772,    the    then 
Bishop  of  Ely  was  empowered  to 
sell  the  estate,  which  passed  to  Mr. 
C.  Cole,  an  architect,  who  built  the 
houses   in    Ely   Place,   the    chapel 
being  preserved  as  a  place  of  wor 
ship  for  the  residents.     In  1844  the 
chapel  passed  into  the  hands  of  the 
Welsh  Episcopalians.     About  thirty 
years  later,  in  consequence  of  a  law 
suit,  the  whole  of  the  property  was 
sold,  when  the  church   was  bought 
by  Fr.  Lockheart,  of  the  Order  of   < 
Charity,  for  £5,400.     Thus  was  the    \ 
place   again   restored    to    Catholic    i 
hands.     After  considerable  restora 
tion,  the  building  was  reopened  for    ; 
worship  by  Cardinal    Manning  on    | 
June  23, 1879.     The  church,  which,    j 
as  we  have  remarked,  was  founded 
at  the  close  of  the  thirteenth  century,    ! 
is    one   of    the   most   beautiful    in 
England.      It  is  lighted  by  mag-    < 


nificent  east  and  west  windows,  the 
former  presented  by  the  Duke  of 
Norfolk,  the  latter  by  E.  Bellasis, 
Esq.,  Lancaster  Herald,  E.  de  Lisle, 
and  other  benefactors.  The  east 
window  displays  Our  Lord  robed  as 
High  Priest  and  King,  attended  by 
Our  Lady,  St.  Joseph,  St.  Ethel- 
dreda,  and  St.  Bridget.  That  to  the 
west  depicts  Cardinal  John  Fisher, 
Thomas  More,  and  the  monks 
of  the  Charterhouse,  who  suffered 
under  Henry  VIII.  Beneath  the 
high  altar  is  a  jewelled  reliquary  con 
taining  a  portion  of  the  hand  of  St. 
Etheldreda,  Abbess  of  Ely,  who  died 
679.  It  was  discovered  in  a  priests' 
hiding-place  in  a  Sussex  farmhouse 
on  the  estate  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk. 
The  choir  at  the  end  of  the  church 
is  supported  by  a  beautiful  Gothic 
screen,  the  work  of  the  late  Mr. 
Bentley.  In  the  sanctuary,  near  the 
south  entrance,  is  a  brass  tablet  in 
memory  of  Fr.  W.  Lockhart,  B.A. 
(Oxon.),  rector  of  St.  Etheldreda's 
from  1879  till  his  death  in  August 
1892.  Beneath  the  church  is  a  dark 
and  spacious  crypt,  which  serves  as 
a  chapel  for  daily  Mass,  confessions, 
&c.  The  congregation  of  the  church, 
which  before  the  pulling  down  of 
neighbouring  courts  and  alleys  to 
make  way  for  business  houses,  &c., 
was  very  numerous,  is  now  only 
about  1,000. 


HOLLINWOOD,  LANGS  (Sal- 
ford). 

The  church  was  opened  Decem 
ber  21,  1878.  Before  the  opening 
of  the  church,  the  temporary  chapel 
was  in  Maple  Street.  Catholic 
population  about  1,336. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Christian  Miiller. 

„    Thomas  Walsh,  1880. 

„    Bartholomew  Flynn,  1888. 

„    Francis  Oakes,  1904  to  date. 


216 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


HOLLOW  AY,  LONDON,  N.  (West 
minster).  The  Sacred  Heart  of 
Jesus. 

A  mission  was  established  at 
5  Albany  Place  in  1854  by  Canon 
Oakeley,  of  Islington.  After  a  few 
months,  a  larger  chapel  was  estab 
lished  at  19  Cornwall  Place,  and 
opened  June  11,  1855,  by  Canon 
Maguire,  V.G.  A  fine  bell  was 
presented  by  J.  Hears,  Esq.,  and 
much  material  assistance  rendered 
to  the  mission  by  the  Countess 
of  Shrewsbury.  The  chapel,  how 
ever,  was  merely  a  front  and  back 
parlour  thrown  into  one,  and  was 
described  in  1868  as  the  most 
wretched  place  of  Catholic  worship 
in  the  Westminster  diocese.  The 
late  Canon  Keens,  who  came  as 
rector  that  year,  managed  to 
secure  a  site  for  church  and 
schools  by  March  1869,  at  a  cost  of 
£'1,500.  The  present  church,  in 
the  Geometrical  Gothic  style,  was 
opened  by  Cardinal  Manning  on 
August  18,  1870.  Nave  and  chan 
cel  measure  about  90  fr.  Schools 
for  200  children  were  opened  about 
the  same  time.  F.  H.  Pownall 
was  the  architect.  The  Catholic 
population  in  1868  was  esti 
mated  at  3,000.  New  schools  were 
built  in  1905  at  a  total  cost  of 
£5,500.  Electric  light  installed  in 
church  and  schools  1900. 

Priests. 
Eev.  —  Dale,  1855  (first  resident 

priest). 

Erneric  Podolski,  1856  (chap 
lain  to  the  British  Polish 
Legion  during  the  Crimean 
war,  1854-6;  again  at  Hol- 
loway  1856). 

Cornelius  Canon  Keens,  1868. 
Wm.  Dolan,  1871. 
Thos.  Carey,  M.E.,  1901. 


HOLME- ON -SPALDING  MO  OH, 
YOKES  (Middlesbrough).  St.  John 
the  Baptist. 

The  date  of  the  foundation  of 
this  mission  is  set  down  as  1743, 
though  chaplains  were  here  as 
early  as  1670.  The  place  is  one 
of  the  residences  of  the  noble 
family  of  Stourton.  Lewis  in  his 
'  Topographical  Dictionary  '  says 
that  the  Vavasours  in  Catholic 
times  established  cells  on  the  moor 
for  two  monks  to  act  as  guides  to 
travellers.  Fr.  J.  Le  Grand,  O.S.B., 
established  a  permanent  chapel  and 
commenced  the  register  1743.  A  new 
chapel  was  opened  May  1766.  The 
Canonesses  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre 
had  a  convent  here  from  1794  to 
1796,  when  they  removed  to  Dean 
House,  Salisbury. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Edw.  Booth,  1670. 

„    Lawrence  Ireland,  S.J.,  1673. 

„    Gervase  Littleton,  1698. 

„    —  Price,  1723. 

„    Ar.  Baker,  O.S.F.,  left  1743., 

„    Jos.  Le  Grand,  O.S.B.,  1743. 

„    Jn.  Fisher,  O.S.B.,  1743. 

„    Andrew  Eyding,  O.S.B.,  1788. 

„    Jn.  Storey,  O.S.B.,  1792. 

„    Thos.  Marsh,  O.S.B.,  1795. 

,,    Edw.  Clarkson,  O.S.B.,  1798. 

„    Jn.  Turner,  O.S.B.,  1815. 

„    Edw.  Glassbrook,O.S.B.,  1843. 

„    Thos.  Cockshoot,  O.S.B.,  1846. 

„    Nicholas     Hodgson,     O.S.B., 
1858. 

„    Thos.        Shepherd,       O.S.B., 
1860  (?). 

„    Chas.  Holohan,  O.S.B.,  1862. 
Seculars. 

„    Gerald  Shanahan,  1864. 

„    Jas.  Dolan,  1876. 

„    Jn.  Doud,  1881. 

„    S.  O'Hare,  1884. 

„    Aloysius  Maes,  1897. 

„    Geo.  de  Stoop,  1901  to  date. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC    MISSIONS 


217 


HOMERTON,  LONDON,  N.E. 
(Westminster).  Immaculate  Heart 
and  St.  Dominic. 

A  chapel  was  opened  in  Sidney 
Terrace  by  Fr.  (Canon)  G.  Akcrs, 
M.A.,  1873.  The  present  church,  in 
the  Italian  style,  was  opened  by 
Cardinal  Manning  October  29, 1877. 
Captain  Salvin,  of  Sutton  Place, 
Guildford,  presented  the  marble 
altar.  In  April  1878,  a  new  stone 
altar  was  erected  in  the  side  chapel 
dedicated  to  St.  George.  The  build 
ing  was  consecrated  by  Bishop 
Weathers,  of  Amycla,  July  2,  1884. 
It  may  be  interesting  to  state  that 
the  edifice  is  modelled  after  that 
of  SS.  Nereus  and  Achilles  at 
Rome.  The  church  was  conse 
crated  1884. 

Priests. 
Rev.  G.  Akers,  1873. 

„    G.  Langton  Vere,  1877. 

„    Thos.  Hogan,  1885. 

„    E.  Meyer,  1891. 

„    Clement  Dunn,  1892  to  date. 


HONITON,    DEVONSHIRE     (Ply 
mouth).     The  Holy  Family. 

Through  the  generosity  of  the 
Ladies  Mary  and  Margaret  Howard, 
an  iron  church,  formerly  at  Heron's 
Ghyll,  Uckfield,  was  removed  to 
Honiton  and  erected  on  a  site 
acquired  from  W.  H.  Fowler,  Esq., 
February  1898.  Before  the  open 
ing  of  the  iron  chapel,  Catholics 
worshipped  at  the  domestic  oratory 
in  Deer  Park,  the  residence  of 
Lady  Lindsay.  Mass  on  the  day 
of  opening  was  celebrated  by  Fr. 
Allaria,  C.R.L.,  rector  of  the  mis 
sion,  the  plain  chant  of  the  service 
being  sung  by  the  choir  from  Spet- 
tisbury  Priory.  It  may  not  be  un 
interesting  to  remark  that  a  certain 
Dr.  Marwood,  who  died  at  Honiton 
in  1617,  was  '  a  good  and  faithful 


Catholic,'  and  one  who  did  much 
to  preserve  the  remnants  of  the  old 
religion  in  the  district  during  a 
particularly  severe  epoch  of  the 
penal  laws. 

N.B. — The  mission  at  Deer  Park 
was  founded  by  the  Hon.  Colin 
Lindsay  1877.  He  was  the  author 
of  the  well-known  '  Evidences  for 
the  Papacy'  (Longmans  1870).  Mr. 
Lindsay  died  1892,  at.  73. 


HOOTON,     CHESHIRE     (Shrews 
bury).     St.  Mary  of  the  Angels. 

This  mission, under  the  patronage 
of  the  Stanley  family,  was  served 
by  the  Jesuits  from  about  the  reign 
of  James  I.  till  1854.  Fr.  Stanislaus 
Green  was  priest  at  Hooton  in  1701 ; 
Fr.  M.  Tichborne  about  1735 ;  Fr. 
J.  Porter  in  1750 ;  Fr.  J.  Shaw  in 
1773.  The  new  church,  erected  by 
Sir  John  Stanley  Errington,  Bart., 
was  opened  August  21,  1879.  The 
Stanley  Chantry,  dedicated  to  the 
Sacred  Heart,  is  lighted  by  eight 
handsome  stained  -  glass  windows 
by  Meyer,  of  Munich.  The  church, 
which  will  accommodate  about  250 
persons,  was  consecrated  July  1883. 
The  design  was  planned  by  Mr. 
E.  G.  Tarvor,  of  London. 

Priests  since  1805. 
Rev.  Thos.  Collingridge,  1803. 

Thos.  Crowe,  1849. 

P.  F.  Baron,  1851. 

Wm.     Canon    Hilton,     V.G., 
1866. 

Geo.  Canon  Clegg,  1876. 

Chas.  Langdon,  1888. 

G.  B.  Provost  Clegg,  1903  to 
date. 


HORNBY,     LANCS      (Liverpool). 
St.  Mary. 
From  about  the  reign  of  James  I. 


218 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


to  1762,  the  chapel  at  Eobcrt  Hall, 
the   seat  of  the  Cansfields,  served 
the  districts  of  Hornby,  Claughton, 
and  Caton.      The   Cansfields  were 
staunch   supporters  of  Charles    I., 
and  suffered  much  in  the  cause  of 
that  monarch.    The  priest  at  Eobert 
Hall  from   1699   to    1740  was  Fr. 
Edward  Gilpin.    His  successor  was 
Fr.  Jas.  Gandy.      Fr.  E.  Bennett, 
who  was  chaplain  in  1745,  showed 
such   partiality  for    the    cause   of 
Prince     Charles     Edward     Stuart 
during  the  rebellion   of  that  year, 
that  he   had   to  retire    abroad   for 
some  time.    He  afterwards  returned 
to  his  pastoral  duties  at  Hornby, 
dying  at  Scarborough  in  1765.     In 
1762  Mrs.  Ann  Fenwick,  relict  of 
John  Fenwick,  Esq.,  got  leave  of 
Bishop   Petre,   V.A.,    to    fit    up   a 
chapel   at   her   residence,    Hornby 
Hall.      Fr.  Thos.  Butler   was   ap 
pointed  priest  of  the  mission,  which 
then  numbered  115  persons.     After 
Mrs.  Fenwick's  death  in  1777,  the 
Hall  passed  into  other  hands  ;  but 
Fr.  Butler,  with  the  funds  she  had 
placed  at  his  disposal,  purchased  a 
house   as    chapel    and   presbytery, 
and  continued  his  ministrations  till 
his  decease  in  1795.     The  mission 
of  Hornby  is  indissolubly  connected 
with  the  Kev.  John  Lingard,  D.D., 
the  Catholic  historian  of  England, 
who  was  priest  of  the  place  from 
1811   till  his  death  in   July  1851, 
aged    eighty-one.      Much    of     his 
well-known  history  was  written  at 
Hornby,  and  here  he  was  wont  to 
entertain  Brougham,  Scarlett,  Pol 
lock,  and  the  other  leaders  of  the 
Bar    whom  the    Northern  Assizes 
brought  into  his  district  (Tierney's 
'  Memoir,'      Lingard's      '  History,' 
vol.  i.).  Fr.  Geo.  Gibson  was  the  next 
priest  after  Dr.  Lingard.  The  chapel 
was  rebuilt  in  1819.      Fr.   Gibson 
was  succeeded  in  1875  by  Fr.  Geo. 
Fisher,  who  was  followed  in  1897 


by  Mgr.  Wm.  Wrennall.  In  conclu 
sion,  it  may  be  added  that  from 
the  death  of  Fr.  Butler  in  1795  till 
the  appointment  of  Dr.  Lingard  in 
1811  the  priests  were  :  Abbe  A.  J. 
Legaigneur,  an  emigre,  1795-8 ; 
Kev.  J.  Worswick,  1798-1809  ;  Rev. 
Ar.  Story,  1809-11. 


HORNSEY.    Sec  STROUD  GREEN, 


HORSEFORTH,  YORKS  (Leeds). 
Our  Lady  of  Good  Counsel. 

Mission  commenced  1892,  and 
served  from  the  Church  of  the 
Sacred  Heart,  Leeds,  by  Fr.  Chas. 
Croskell.  In  1893  it  was  supplied 
by  a  priest  from  the  cathedral,  and 
in  1895-6  from  the  seminary.  In 
the  last  year  Fr.  E.  Walsh  was 
appointed  rector.  His  successors 
have  been :  Eev.  John  Kalb  ;  Eev. 
Thos.  Shine,  to  date. 


HORSHAM,  SUSSEX  (South- 
war '&).  St.  John,  Springfield  Eoad. 

The  old  chapel  in  West  Street  was 
founded  by  Charles,  eleventh  Duke 
of  Norfolk,  about  the  commence 
ment  of  the  last  century.  This 
nobleman,  although  he  '  conformed 
to  the  Established  Church  '  in 
1780,  was  always  secretly  attached 
to  the  religion  of  his  forefathers, 
and  at  his  death  in  1815  abjured 
the  tenets  of  protestantism.  The 
bodies  of  the  Dukes  of  Norfolk 
always  rested  at  the  Hovsham 
Chapel  for  one  night  when  being 
brought  from  London  to  Arundel 
for  interment.  The  last  time  that 
the  old  custom  of  bringing  the 
du.ca.1  remains  by  road  w&g  observed 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


219 


took  place  at  the  funeral  of  Bernard, 
seventh  Duke,  in  April  1842.  For 
many  years  after  the  foundation  of 
the  Horsham  mission  it  was  served 
in  conjunction  with  West  Grinstead. 
The  priest  in  charge  of  the  place 
in  1827  was  the  Abbe  Adrien 
Gremare.  He  left  in  1835.  The 
next  priest  was  Fr.  Edward  Fowler. 
The  mission  was  marked  '  vacant ' 
in  1850,  but  in  1853  the  incumbent 
was  Fr.  Joseph  Sidden.  The  ser 
vices  even  at  this  time  continued 
to  be  only  occasional,  Mass  being 
said  at  Horsham  on  the  first 
Sunday  of  each  month.  In  1864 
it  was  served  by  the  Franciscan 
Fathers  from  Crawley.  The  follow 
ing  year  saw  the  opening  of  the 
present  Gothic  church  (December 
27),  by  Bishop  Grant.  The  edifice 
is  due  to  the  pious  munificence  of 
the  late  Mina  Duchess  of  Norfolk. 
Fr.  H.  Lawrence  is  the  present 
rector. 


HORWICH,      LANCS      (Salford). 
Our  Lady  of  the  Rosary. 

The  Gothic  school  chapel  was 
opened  by  the  Bishop  of  Salford 
on  Sunday,  July  11,  1886.  The 
chapel  is  of  brick,  with  stone 
dressings,  and  has  a  neat  presbytery 
adjoining.  Bishop  Vaughan,  at  the 
opening,  preached  an  effective  ser 
mon  on  the  Rosary,  which  his 
lordship  described  as  '  a  summary 
of  the  whole  Gospel.' 
Priests. 
Rev.  Joseph  Crilly,  1886. 

„    Henry  Hunt,  1899. 

„    Michael  McGrath,  1903. 


HOUGHTON  HALL,  SANCTON, 
YORKS  (Middlesbrough).  The  Holy 
Family. 

There  was  a  chapel  at  this,  the 


ancient  seat  of  the  Langdale  family, 
about  the  time  of  the  accession 
of  Elizabeth.  Anthony  Langdale, 
Esq.,  who  died  at  Rome,  April  10, 
1577,  is  regarded  as  '  an  exile  on 
account  of  his  faith.'  Fr.  John 
May,  an  alumnus  of  St.  Omer  and 
Valladolid,  served  the  mission  from 
about  1052  till  his  death,  some 
time  after  1690.  The  old  chapel 
was  built  1780,  and  the  registers 
date  from  1787.  The  Benedictines 
ceased  to  serve  the  mission  1805. 
The  new  chapel,  near  the  Hall,  was 
erected  by  the  Hon.  Charles  Lang- 
dale,  and  opened  February  25, 
1829 — the  year  of  Catholic  emanci 
pation. 

Rev.  John  May,  1652  till  after  1690 

(immediate    successors    not 

known). 

Edw.  Hatton,  1730 
John  Holme,  1739. 
Archibald  Macdonald,  1766. 
Edward  Howard,  S.J.,  1770. 
Thos.  Slater,  1787. 
Jn.  Rigby,  1803. 
Jas.    Wrennall,    1805  (?)    till 

1827. 

Jn.  Ball,  1827. 
Jn.  Glover,  1830. 
Henry  Newsham,  1836. 
Geo.  Keasley,  1838. 
Jn.      Glover,     1842     (second 

time). 

Robt.  Canon  Thompson,  1860. 
Laurence  McGonnell,  1861. 
James  Canon  Wells,  1862. 
Herbert  Davies,  1897. 


HOUGHTON  -  LE  -  SPRING,  DUR 
HAM  (Hexliam  and  Newcastle). 
St.  Michael. 

The  mission  was  started  1831, 
Fr.  Macevoy,  of  Maynooth,  being 
the  first  resident  priest.  Mass  was 


220 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


first  said  in  a  hired  room,  the 
number  of  Catholics  in  the  town 
being  estimated  at  between  eighty 
and  a  hundred.  The  church  was 
opened  November  9,  1837,  and  in 
1844  the  chancel  end  was  decorated. 
The  site  of  the  building  was  rented 
from  Lord  Durham.  When  Catho 
licity  first  reared  its  head  at 
Hough ton-le- Spring,  the  place  was 
described  as  a  locality  of  '  all-per 
vading  bigotry.'  The  stipend  of 
the  priest  was  at  the  outset  only 
£40  a  year,  and  he  had  to  struggle 
against  a  heavy  mission  debt.  A 
cemetery  was  laid  out  and  schools 
built  in  1842. 

Priests. 
Ecv.  J.  Macevoy,  1831. 

(Served    from    Sunderland 
1845.) 

„    A.  Watson,  1846. 

,,    Joseph  Canon  Browne,  1857. 

,,    John    O'Brien,    1889   and   to 
date. 


HOUNSLOW,  MIDDLESEX.  SS. 
Michael  and  Marten,  Burdett 
Lodge. 

An  important  meeting,  presided 
over  by  Mgr.  Weld,  was  held  at 
Hounslow  early  in  June  1883  to 
consider  the  ways  and  means  for 
building  a  church.  The  collection 
amounted  to  over  £20.  The  new 
school  chapel  was  opened  by  Car 
dinal  Manning,  Tuesday,  August  24 
1886.  As  far  back  as  1862,  Mass 
was  said  for  the  Catholic  soldiers 
every  Sunday  at  the  barracks. 
The  first  chaplain  was  Fr.  C. 
Herdel,  who  resided  at  G  Belgrave 
Terrace.  The  military  chapel  was 
open  to  civilians. 


HOVE,  BRIGHTON  (Soutluvarlt). 
St.  Peter's. 
This  church   was  opened   as   a 


chapel  of  ease  to  the  mission  of  the 
Sacred  Heart,  Brighton,  1902.  The 
style  is  Gothic.  Sittings  for  about 
200  persons.  Fr.  Joseph  Ward  has 
charge  of  the  district  served  by  the 
chapel. 


HOWDEN,  YORKS,  EAST  RIDING 

(Middlesbrough).         The      Sacred 
Heart. 

There  were  about  150  Catholics 
at  Howden  in  1850,  when  the 
mission  was  started  by  Fr.  E. 
Cook.  For  several  years  it  was 
served  from  Everingham.  The 
'  beautiful  little  Gothic  church  ' 
was  built  in  1852.  At  the  con 
clusion  of  the  mission  given  in 
March  1885  by  Fr.  G.  Seadon, 
C.B.P.,  over  sixty  persons  enrolled 
themselves  as  associates  of  the 
Perpetual  Adoration  Sodality. 
[When  Fr.  Cook  first  went  to 
Howden  he  applied  for  the  use  of 
the  Town  Hall  for  Mass  on  Sundays, 
but  was  refused.  He  then  preached 
to  the  people  from  the  town  cross, 
and  with  such  success  that  he 
was  enabled  to  erect  a  temporary 
chapel.] 

Priests. 
Kev.  K.  Cook,  1850. 

Thos.  Danson,  1855. 

James  Butler,  1882. 

C.  Donovan,  1888. 

Patrick  O'Brien,  1890. 

Win.  McNaughten,  1892. 

Patrick  Cronin,  1896. 

Chas.  Van    Pouckc,  1897    to 
date. 


HOXTON,  LONDON,  N.  (West 
minster).  St.  Monica's  Priory. 

In  1863  the  Augustinians  re 
turned  to  London  at  the  invitation 
of  Cardinal  Wiseman.  The  old 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


221 


pro -Reformation  house  of  the  Order 
in  London  was  Austin  Friars,  City, 
founded  1423.  The  present  priory 
was  opened  by  Mgr.  (afterwards 
Cardinal)  Manning,  August  15, 
18G4,  and  the  Decorated  Gothic 
church  two  years  later.  Schools 
were  erected  1870.  The  average 
attendance  in  1905  was  344. 


HOYLAND,  NETHER  BARNSLEY. 
YORKS  (Leeds).  St.  Helen's  Chapel. 

The  mission  was  commenced  in 
1864,  and  on  Easter  Monday  1865 
the  first  stone  of  the  school  chapel 
was  laid.  The  opening  took  place 
Sunday,  April  22,  1865,  by  the 
Bishop  of  Beverley.  The  style  is 
twelfth-century  Gothic.  The  build 
ing  is  of  stone  after  designs  by  Had- 
field.  Fr.  C.  J.  Locke  was  priest  of 
the  mission  in  1865.  At  the  mission 
given  at  St.  Helens  in  June  1866, 
by  Fr.  Bertrand,  O.S.F.,  over  600 
persons  renewed  the  baptismal 
vows,  and  about  eighty-three  were 
confirmed.  In  1891  the  mission 
was  served  from  Mortomley. 

Recent  Priests. 
Rev.  Win.  Smith,  here  in  1883. 

„    W.  J.  Smith,  1892. 


HUCKNALL  TORKARD,  NOTTING 
HAMSHIRE  (Nottingham).  Holy 
Cross. 

From  1879,  when  the  mission 
was  started,  '  a  building  of  a  tem 
porary  character '  served  as  a  chapel. 
In  September  1886,  owing  to  the 
liberality  of  Mr.  O'Hanlon,  who 
gave  £1,000,  and  Major  Worswick, 
who  gave  £500,  the  new  church  was 
founded,  and  completed  in  April 
1887.  The  style  is  Early  Decorated 
Gothic.  The  schools  adjoining, 
built  by  Major  Worswick,  accom 


modate  about  100  pupils.  The  con 
gregation  was  estimated  at  about 
200  at  the  time  of  opening.  The 
seating  capacity  of  the  building  is 
for  about  250  persons.  R.  C.  Clarke 
was  the  architect.  Fr.  Rupert 
Macaulay,  present  rector. 


HUDDERSFIELD,  YORKS  (Leeds). 
St.  Patrick. 

The  mission  atHuddersfield  dates 
from  1828,  when  Mass  was  said  on 
Sundays  in  a  hired  room  over  a 
workshop.  The  baptismal  registers 
were  irregularly  kept  for  the  first 
two  or  three  years,  owing  probably 
to  the  fact  that  the  priest  baptised 
in  private  houses  and  entered  the 
names  later.  In  1835,  the  chapel 
was  commenced  in  the  Halifax 
Road,  Huddersfield,  by  Fr.  James 
Keily,  but  the  debt  on  the  building 
was  not  paid  off  till  1861.  Between 
October  1859  and  September  1861, 
about  £400  was  collected  by  Fr. 
S.  L.  Wells  towards  new  schools. 
These  wrere  commenced  in  Septem 
ber  1862,  and  opened  during  the 
course  of  1863.  The  cost  was  about 
£800,  the  accommodation  being  for 
108  boys,  128  girls,  and  60  infants. 

Recent  Priests. 

Rev.  Stephen   Canon   Dolan,  here 
1891  and  to  date. 


HULL,  YORKSHIRE  (Middles- 
brougli).  St.  Charles  Borromeo, 
Jarratt  Street. 

In  1780,  the  Catholic  chapel  was 
at  Posterngate.  Fierce  '  No  Popery  ' 
riots — in  imitation  of  the  Gordon 
riots — broke  out  in  June  the  same 
year,  and  the  chapel  was  destroyed. 
The  Jews  afterwards  obtained  a 
lease  of  the  site  for  a  synagogue. 
The  Catholics  of  the  town,  who 


ENGLISH    CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


then  numbered  about  forty,  next  i 
set  up  a  chapel  in  a  private  house. 
In  1798,  the  Abbe  Peter  Francis 
Foucher,  formerly  vicar  general  of  } 
Aix,  came  to  Hull  from  Pocklington, 
and  built  the  house  and  chapel,  | 
opened  July  26,  1799.  Monseig- 
neur  de  Boisgelin,  Archbishop  of 
Aix,  sang  High  Mass  in  the  chapel  , 
on  September  22  following.  The 
Abbe  Foucher  spent  about  £'2,000 
of  his  own  money  on  the  mission, 
and  on  returning  to  France  in 
1820  bequeathed  a  silver  chalice, 
ciborium,  and  some  fine  vestments 
to  the  chapel.  Miss  Anne  Heat- 
ley,  who  died  1803,  was  also  a 
great  benefactress  to  the  mission. 
Seventy-two  persons  were  con 
firmed  here  by  Bishop  Gibson,  V.A., 
in  1808,  and  eighty-three  by  the 
same  prelate,  in  October  1815. 
The  old  chapel  having  become  in 
adequate  was  supplanted  by  the 
present  handsome  structure  opened 
by  Bishop  Penswick  in  1835.  The 
handsome  screen  by  Scholes  is  a 
copy  of  the  one  in  the  church  of 
the  Gesu  at  Korne.  The  title  of 
the  church  was  changed  from  that 
of  St.  Augustine  to  St.  Charles 
Borromeo,  1850-1.  The  congre 
gation  was  then  estimated  at  6,500. 
The  children  attending  school  240  ; 
Baptisms,  247 ;  Marriages,  47  ; 
Converts,  41. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Robert  Johnson,  1780. 

„  Abbe  P.  F.  Foucher,  1798. 
Became  Canon  and  V.G.  of 
Aix  on  returning  to  France, 
1820. 

„    John  Smith,  1820. 

„    Joseph  Render,  1830. 

„    Michael  Trappes,  1848. 

„  Benjamin  Canon  Randerson, 
1874. 

„    William  Canon  Sullivan,  1887. 

„  Francis  Canon  Hall,  V.G., 
1901  to  date. 


HULL.     St.  Mary,  Wilton  Street. 

The  growth  of  Catholicity  in 
Hull  made  a  second  mission 
necessary  shortly  after  1850.  In 
January  1857,  schools  were  opened 
in  Dansorn  Lane  and  placed  under 
the  care  of  the  Sisters  of  Mercy. 
A  school  chapel  was  inaugurated, 
March  7,  1858.  The  number  of 
children  attending  school  in  1859 
was  about  600.  The  present 
church  superseded  the  chapel  1890. 
In  Aiigust  of  the  following  year,  a 
chapel  of  St.  Francis  was  opened 
'  over  the  vault  of  Sir  Francis 
Turville,  K.C.M.G.,'  by  his  widow, 
Baroness  Lisgar.' 

Priests. 
Rev.  Luke  Burke,  1858. 

„    Joseph  Geary,  1866. 

„    George  Browne,  1871. 

„    Charles  H.  Wood,  1885. 

,,    James  Canon  Griftin,  1889  to 
date. 


HULL,    YORKS,     EAST     RIDING 

(Middlesbrough). 

St.  Patrick's  Church  was  built 
in  Mill  Street  1871.  The  present 
church  in  Spring  Street  was  opened 
on  Thursday,  September  8,  1904. 
The  style  is  Romanesque.  The 
accommodation  is  for  500  persons. 
The  Bishop  of  Middlesbrough  pre 
sided  at  the  throne  on  the  occasion 
of  the  opening,  the  sermon  being 
preached  by  the  Very  Rev.  Placid 
Conway,  O.P.  (1  Kings  ix.  3). 


HUNSLET,  LEEDS.     St.  Joseph. 

Erected  1859-60.  The  num 
ber  of  Catholics  then  at  Hunslet 
was  over  1,000.  The  St.  Joseph's 
Building  Society  was  formed  that 
year  to  further  the  erection  of  the 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


2'28 


church.     The  first  stone  was  laid 
by  the  bishop  of  the  diocese  Novem 
ber    16,    1859.      The    style    of  the 
church  is '  mixed  Gothic ' ;  to  accom-    j 
modate   about   600   persons.      The    | 
site  formed  part  of  the  Brandling 
estate,  and  the  cost  of  the  building 
was   about  £1,600.      In    1884   the    \ 
Catholic  population  of  the  district    j 
was  about  2,500.     At  the  '  mission  '    | 
given  by  the  Jesuit  Fathers  in  April 
1884  upwards  of  1,000  confessions 
were   heard,  221    persons   brought 
back  to  the  practice  of  their  reli 
gious  duties,  and  500  Holy  Com 
munions  administered. 


HUNSTANTON,  WEST  NORFOLK 

(Northampton).      SS.    Mary    and 
Edmund,  K.M. 

The  chapel  of  St.  Edmund  House, 
the  convent  of  the  Dominican  nuns, 
who  settled  here  in  1903,  served  as 
a  place  of  worship  for  local  Catholics 
for  some  time.  In  January  1904, 
Fr.  E.  Garnett,  the  chaplain,  ob 
tained  a  site  for  the  badly-needed 
church  from  Alderman  Harnon  Le 
Strange,  the  lord  of  the  manor, 
who  generously  gave  the  land  free 
of  cost.  In  August  1904,  a  tempo 
rary  building — the  sacristies  of  the 
future  church — was  opened  for  wor 
ship  by  Bishop  Eiddell,  of  North 
ampton.  Mass  was  celebrated  by 
Mgr.  Scott,  D.D.,  V.G.  of  Cam 
bridge,  the  sermon  being  preached 
by  Fr.  J.  Freeland  (Isaiah  iv.  5).  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  Mass,  the 
Bishop  confirmed  the  Hon.  Otway 
Plunket,  son  of  Lord  Louth,  and 
two  little  girls — the  Misses  Harriet 
and  Mary  Cole. 


HUNTINGDON  (Northampton). 
St.  Hubert. 

The  establishment  of  this  mission 
in  1869  is  due  to  some  Irish  horse- 


dealers,  who,  finding  no  Catholic 
church  at  Huntingdon,  which  town 
they  were  obliged  to  attend  every 
year  at  fair  time,  clubbed  together 
and  built  a  temporary  iron  chapel. 
Soon  after  its  erection,  the  chapel 
was  almost  destroyed  by  a  violent 
gale,  and  as  early  as  1882  was  '  in 
a  deplorably  leaky  state.'  In  1901 
the  present  handsome  church  was 
erected  by  George  Temple  Layton, 
Esq.,  late  of  The  Croft,  Mitc'ham, 
Surrey,  at  a  cost  of  about  £J5,000. 
Fr.  Patrick  Duffy  has  been  rector 
of  the  mission  since  its  establish 
ment. 


HUSBANDS  BOSWORTH,  LEI 
CESTERSHIRE  (Nottingham).  St. 
Mary. 

In  1763,  the  ancient  Catholic 
family  of  Turville  of  Aston  Flam- 
ville  came  into  the  property  of 
Husbands  Bosworth,  on  the  decease 
of  their  cousin,  Maria  Fortescue. 
The  chapel  at  Bosworth  Hall  served 
the  mission  for  upwards  of  a  cen 
tury.  The  present  church  was  built 
in  1874  at  the  cost  of  Sir  Francis 
Turville,  K.C.M.G.  The  style  is 
Gothic.  In  the  chapel  of  St.  Joseph, 
opening  out  of  the  north  wall,  re 
pose  the  remains  of  the  founder, 
and  also  the  relics  of  his  ancestor, 
the  blessed  Sir  Adrian  Fortescue,  a 
Knight  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem, 
who  suffered  for  the  Papal  supre 
macy,  July  10,  1539.  The  church 
was  redecorated  August  and  Sep 
tember  1900  in  a  style  resembling 
that  of  St.  Stephen's  Chapel,  West 
minster. 
Priests  of  the  Mission  since  1825. 

(1825,  vacant.) 
Rev.  _  Wilford,  1826. 

„     J.  Koss,  1827. 

„  B.  Bagnall,  1829. 

„  J.  Jones,  1831. 


224 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Rev.  E.  Whitehouse,  1849. 
„     Richard  Raby,  1853. 
„     E.  Whitehouse,  1854. 

In  1874  the  mission  was  served 
from  Market  Harborough  by 
the  Rev.  Richard  Vandepitte. 
„     Fr.  A.  Ryan,  1879. 
Frcdk.  Wehn,  1880. 
Win.  Farmery,  1885. 
Jn.  Salins,  1887. 
W.  Otty,  1891. 
Jos.  Fagan,  1893. 


HUTTON  HOUSE,  CASTLE  EDEN, 
DURHAM  (Hexham  and  New 
castle).  SS.  Peter  and  Paul. 

Fr.  J.  A.  Slater,  of  Uskaw  Col 
lege,  started  the  mission  here  in 
1825.  Before  this  time,  the  few 
local  Catholics  heard  Mass  at  Hard- 
wick  House,  long  the  seat  of  the 
ancient  family  the  Maires  of  Hut- 
ton.  The  property  was  sold  in  1824.1 
Fr.  Slater  built  a  Gothic  chapel  in 
1832,  at  which  time  the  number  of 
communicants  amounted  to  eighty. 
The  old  chapel  did  duty  till  1895, 
when  it  was  supplemented  by  a 
handsome  church.  Schools  were 
advertised  as  greatly  needed  in 
October  1901,  and  Fr.  Jackson, 
C.SS.R.,  appealed  for  funds  to  build 
them  Sunday,  October  26,  the 
same  year. 


HUYTON,  LANGS  (Liverpool).  St. 
Agnes. 

A  small  chapel  was  opened  here 
in  1856.  In  1860  upwards  of  £200 

1  Mr.  Maire  was  a  distinguished 
Catholic  conveyancer  about  1770,  when 
all  other  branches  of  the  legal  profession 
were  closed  against  Catholics.  The 
famous  Charles  Butler  of  Lincoln's  Inn 
studied  under  him.  Near  Hardwick 
House  was  a  retired  cave  where  Mass 
was  often  said  during  the  penal  times. 


was  raised  towards  the  expense  of 
a  new  church.  Major  Molyneux- 
Secl  gave  the  site  'in  1861.  The 
church,  which  was  commenced  in 
May  the  same  year,  is  in  the  French 
Gothic  style,  and  cosi  £2,50J.  It 
was  opened  1861. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Canon  Walmsley,  185G. 

„    P.  Holmes,  1859. 

„    Hy.  Lamoii,  1882. 

„    Jn.  Smith,  1884. 

,,    Canon  Holden,  1885  to  date. 


HYDE,  CHESHIRE  (Slirewsbury). 
St.  Paul. 

The  chapel  was  founded  1848,  in 
a  room  over  a  blacksmith's  forge. 
Six  years  afterwards  the  church  was 
opened  on  a  site  presented  by  Robt. 
Ashton,  Esq.,  a  Unitarian  (July 
1854).  In  April  1802,  the  church 
was  completed,  a  belfry  and  peal 
of  bells  being  added  to  the  struc 
ture.  The  late  M.  Harnett,  Esq., 
gave  £1,000  towards  the  schools. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Canon  Jn.  Reah,  1848. 

Jn.  Hill,  1853. 

Hy.  Hopkins,  1869. 

Patrick  Tracy,  1879. 

Chas.  Langdon,  1882. 

Thos.  Ratcliffe,  1888. 

Jn.  Thompson,  1889. 

Jas.  Hcnnelly,  1896. 


HYTHE,  KENT  (SouthwarJf). 

As  far  back  as  1860  Fr.  Sheridan 
opened  a  mission  here,  assisted  by 
the  brothers  Edmund  and  Arthur 
Robinson,  to  whom  Catholicity  at 
Dover  is  so  much  indebted.  In 
March  1865  Fr.  (now  Mgr.)  God- 
dard  took  up  his  residence  at  Hythe, 
where  he  laboured  with  much  suc 
cess  till  1867,  when  the  first  Army 
chaplain  was  appointed  to  the 
place.  From  this  date  till  1891 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


225 


the  various  chaplains  '  made  them 
selves  responsible  for  the  Catholic 
soldiers  at  the  School  of  Musketry,' 
the  civilians  being  regarded  as 
under  the  clergy  of  the  neighbour 
ing  mission  of  Folkestone.  In  1891 
the  Austin  Friars  settled  in  Hythe. 


Their  church  was  solemnly  opened 
and  dedicated  by  Bishop  Butt, 
August  6,  1894.  The  building, 
which  was  designed  by  A.  E.  Purdie, 
is  '  large  and  not  ungraceful,'  and 
is  capable  of  accommodating  at 
least  300  people. 


Q 


226 


ILFORD,  ESSEX  (Westminster). 
SS.  Peter  and  Paul. 

The  foundation  stone  of  the 
church  was  laid  by  Cardinal 
Vaughan,  May  14,  1898,  and  the 
building  was  opened  in  June  1899. 
Style,  Perpendicular  Gothic;  ar 
chitect,  Mr.  Curtis  Prior;  seating 
capacity,  about  560.  Prior  to  the 
opening  of  the  church,  a  temporary 
iron  building  was  used.  In  1895 
Fr.  A.  S.  Barnes  estimated  the 
number  of  Catholics  in  the  district 
at  about  six  or  eight.  The  same 
year,  Fr.  Bede,  O.S.F.,  was  sent  to 
establish  the  mission,  and  he  opened 
a  chapel  in  '  a  humble  tenement  ' 
in  Ilford  Lane.  Fr.  Palmer  is  the 
present  rector.  The  church  was 
completed,  and  opened  by  Arch 
bishop  Bourne,  May  81,  1906.  A 
notable  feature  of  the  interior  is 
the  fine  oak  pulpit,  presented  by  the 
congregation.  The  average  school 
attendance  is  278. 


ILFRACOMBE,  DEVONSHIRE 

(Plymouth).      Our    Lady    Star    of 
the  Sea. 

Fr.  Walter  Keily  was  the  first 
to  open  the  mission,  1874.  There 
was  no  resident  priest  till  1876. 
The  present  church  was  com 
menced  October  12,  1892,  and 
opened  January  18,  1893.  A  new 


chapel,  added  to  the  main  building, 
was  completed  May  1895. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Francis  Higgins,  1876. 
„    Thos.  Spencer,  1879. 
„    Walter  Baggaley,  1888. 
„    H.  Bromley,  1890. 
,    G.  Graham. 


ILKESTON,  DERBYSHIRE  (Not 
tingham).  Our  Lady  and  St. 
Thomas  of  Hereford. 

Mass  was  said  occasionally  here 
from  1857  till  1861,  when  the  mis 
sion  became  a  permanent  one.  The 
priest  at  this  time  was  Fr.  C.  Tasker 
of  Glossop.  The  '  chapel,'  however, 
was  merely  '  a  room  in  an  empty 
lace  factory.'  Ilkeston  is  spoken  of 
at  the  time  the  mission  was  started 
as  '  a  long-neglected  place.'  The 
Catholics  in  1861  numbered  about 
600.  Three  years  later  the  chapel 
was  served  from  Derby  by  Fr.  Ar. 
McKenna. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Hugh  O'Neill,  here  in  1872. 

„    Thos.  Revill,  1879. 

„    Patrick  Conaty,  1885. 

„    Philip  Canon  McCarthy,  1888 
and  to  date. 


ILKLEY,  YORKS,  WEST  RIDING 

(Leeds).      The     Sacred    Heart    of 
Jesus. 

For  some  time  prior  to  August 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


227 


1878,  Mass  was  said  on  Sundays  at 
Myddelton  Lodge,  the  seat  of  W. 
Middleton,  Esq.  In  the  above- 
named  month  and  year  a  church 
and  school  were  commenced  on  a 
site  near  the  Wharfe,  presented 
by  Mr.  Middleton.  The  style  is 
'  purely  Old  English,'  with  open 
roof.  Adjoining  is  a  cemetery. 
The  accommodation  of  the  church 
is  for  220 ;  of  the  school  120. 
Priests  since  1892. 
Eev.  Alf.  Watson. 

„    Alf.  Galli,  1896  to  date. 


INGE  BLUNDELL,  LANGS  (Liver 
pool).     The  Holy  Family. 

The  Faith  was  supported  here 
throughout  the  dreary  time  of  per 
secution  by  the  protection  of  the 
Ince  Blundell  family,  many  of 
whose  members  figure  in  the  re 
cusant  rolls  between  1683  and 
1679.  In  addition  to  being  a  focus 
of  Catholicity,  Ince  Blundell  Hall 
acquired,  about  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  a  deserved  repu 
tation  for  its  fine  collection  of  sculp 
tures  and  paintings,  brought  to 
gether  by  Henry  Blundell,  Esq. 
The  estates  passed  to  the  Weld 
family  in  1837.  The  present  Gothic 
church  was  erected  in  1858. 
Priests  since  1824. 
Rev.  Thos.  Berry. 

„    P.  Greenough,  1827. 

,.    Jules  Maurus,  1867  (?). 

„    Thos.  Murphy,  1899. 

„    James  Hughes,  1903  to  date. 


INCE  WIGAN,  LANGS  (Liverpool). 
St.  William. 

A  chapel  attached  to  Ince  New 
Hall  was  built  1760.  The  chaplain 
from  1786  to  1818  was  Fr.  Joseph 
Higginson.  The  present  mission  j 


was  established  in  1873.  A  tem 
porary  iron  church  was  opened  by 
Bishop  O'Reilly,  of  Liverpool,  in 
April  1881.  Seating  accommoda 
tion  for  about  620 ;  cost  of  erection, 
£1,500.  The  opening  of  the  chapel 
was  deferred  from  February  to 
April  on  account  of  the  colliers' 
strike. 

Priests. 
Rev.  P.  Clarke,  1873. 

„    Michael  Naughten,  1877. 

„    Jeremiah  Dowling,  1879. 

„    John  Hanly,  1885. 

„    Geo.  Swarbrick,  1904  to  date. 


INGATESTONE      HALL,      ESSEX 

(Westminster}.        SS.     Erconwald 
and  Aedilburga. 

Ingatestone  Hall  came  into  the 
possession  of  the  Petre  family  at 
the  time  of  the  suppression  of  the 
religious  houses  (1536-9).  The 
domestic  chapel  was  described  in 
1857  as  being  '  a  small  building 
with  a  gallery  over  the  entrance.' 
It  was  redecorated  in  1852.  In 
1855  a  priests'  hiding-place  was 
discovered.  Fr.  A.  Paige  was 
chaplain  at  Ingatestone  Hall  prior 
to  his  execution  for  the  Faith  at 
Chelmsford  in  1590.  Fr.  R.  Man 
ning,  D.D.,  wrote  his  famous  '  Dis 
courses  '  at  Ingatestone  when  chap 
lain  there  early  in  the  eighteenth 
century.  Before  the  opening  of 
missions  at  Southend,  Shoebury, 
&c.,  these  places  were  served  by 
the  priest  at  Ingatestone.  The 
church  of  Ingatestone  Hall,  after 
being  closed  some  months  for  the 
purpose  of  enlargement,  was  so 
lemnly  reopened  on  Sunday,  Octo 
ber  18,  1863.  The  alterations  were 
all  skilfully  carried  out  by  D.  C. 
Nicholls,  Esq.,  of  London. 

N.B.— The   body   of  the    unfor 
tunate  Earl  of  Derwentwater  rested 


228 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


for  one  night  at  Ingatestonc  Hall 
after  his  execution  on  February  24, 
1716,  for  participation  in  the  Jaco 
bite  rebellion  of  the  preceding  year. 
The  Earl's  remains  were  interred 
at  his  ancestral  home,  Dilston,  in 
Northumberland,  but  in  1874  were 
removed  to  Thorndon  Hall  (q.v.). 


IPSWICH  (Northampton).  St. 
Pancras. 

In  1793  the  Abbe  Louis  Pierre 
Simon,  an  emigre,  came  to  Ipswich, 
where  he  hired  a  house  and  turned 
one  of  the  rooms  into  a  chapel. 
For  a  time  this  small  place  of  wor 
ship  sufficed  for  the  few  Catholics 
of  the  town.  By  1820,  the  congre 
gation  had  so  increased  that  he 
found  it  necessary  to  build  a  chapel 
for  150  persons.  This  structure 
formed  the  transepts  of  a  still 
larger  church  consecrated  by  Bishop 
Walsh,  V.A.M.D.,  October  10, 1838. 
The  style  was  Perpendicular  Gothic ; 
accommodation  for  about  600.  The 
building  stood  on  the  site  of  the 
Black  Friars'  monastery,  plundered 
in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.  A 
school  for  children  was  opened 
about  the  same  time.  In  conse 
quence  of  the  growth  of  Catholicity 
in  and  around  Ipswich,  a  still  larger 
church  became  necessary,  and  the 
present  building  wTas  opened  by 
Bishop  Amherst,  of  Northampton, 
June  12, 1861.  The  building,  which 
was  designed  by  Hadfield  & 
Goldie,  after  the  Geometric  style, 
will  accommodate  about  1,000. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Louis  Simon,  1793. 

Ignatius  Collingridge,  1840. 

James  O'Neill,  1842. 

M.  Lane,  1849. 

W.  Marshall,  1851. 

J.  C.  Kemp,  1855. 


Rev.  Joseph   Faa  di    Bruno,   here 
1871. 

,,    Aemilianus  Kirner,  1874. 
,,    Joseph  Bannin,  1879. 
„    Wm.  Canon  Blackman,  1882. 
„    Patrick    Canon   Rogers,  1885 
to  date. 


IRLAM,     MANCHESTER,    LANCS 

(Salford).     St.  Theresa,  Liverpool 
Road. 

This  became  a  separate  mission 
in  1900.  The  new  schools,  which 
were  built  1901-2,  will  accommo 
date  about  100  children.  The  old 
school  chapel  has  been  fitted  up  as 
a  church,  and  is  under  the  spiritual 
direction  of  Fr.  A.  Van  der  Beck. 


ISLEWORTH,  MIDDLESEX  (West 
minster).  The  Immaculate  Con 
ception  and  St.  Bridget. 

The  noble  family  of  Shrewsburj7, 
premier  Earls  of  England,  long 
owned  a  residence  here  on  the  site 
of  the  present  mission  in  Shrewsbury 
Place.  Being  staunch  Catholics, 
they  had  a  chapel  in  the  mansion, 
which  was  attended  by  the  few 
local  adherents  of  the  ancient  Faith. 
The  baptismal  register  dates  from 
1675.  The  house  was  a  residence 
of  the  family  as  late  as  1761,  but 
was  probably  sold  soon  after.  A 
portion  of  the  premises  was  reserved 
for  a  chapel  and  priest's  house. 
This  old  chapel  (40  ft.  by  16  ft.) 
was  '  badly  constructed  and  scantily 
supplied.'  The  present  building  was 
erected  at  the  expense  of  the  late 
Mgr.  Weld.  It  consists  of  a  nave 
and  galleries,  the  style  being  Roman 
esque  and  the  accommodation  for 
about  200.  The  old  chapel  forms 
the  sacristy.  Schools  were  built 
about  the  same  time  by  the  same 
reverend  benefactor.  The  Catholic 
population  of  the  district  is  about 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


'229 


500.  In  March  1841,  the  nuns  of 
the  Faithful  Companions  of  Jesus 
Congregation  opened  a  high-class 
convent  school  at  Gumley  House, 
Isle  worth,  a  fine  old  mansion,  for 
merly  the  residence  of  General 
Gumley.  The  convent  has  since 
been  in  great  repute  as  an  educa 
tional  establishment. 

N.B.— Mgr.  \Veld,  who  did  so 
much  for  the  mission,  was  a  near 
kinsman  and  former  secretary  of 
Cardinal  Weld  (died  1837).  The 
Monsignor  was  a  man  of  saintly 
life,  and  the  well-known  author  of 
the  treatise  on  '  The  Love  of  God.' 

Priests  since  1790. 
Bev.   Geo.   Bruning,    1790    (?),  d. 
1902. 

„    Anthony  Wareing,  1810  (died 
1855). 

„    S.  Faenza,  1855. 

„    Mgr.  Francis  Weld,  1855. 

„    Thos.  Francis  Gorman,  1897 
to  date. 


ISLINGTON,  LONDON,  N.  (West 
minster).  St.  John  the  Evan 
gelist. 

The  church,  a  Norman  structure, 
designed  by  Scoles,  was  opened  i 


June  26,  1843,  by  Bishop  Wise 
man.  Upwards  of  2,000  persons 
were  present,  including  the  Earl  of 
Arundel  and  the  Hon.  E.  Petre, 
Hon.  E.  Jerningham,  the  Ladies 
Camoys,  Lovat,  &c.,  &c.  Bishop 
Wiseman  preached  a  powerful 
sermon  on  the  progress  of  Catho 
licity  in  England  since  the  penal 
times.  Canon  Oakeley,  M.A.,  was 
appointed  priest  of  the  mission  in 
1850.  The  church  was  consecrated 
in  June  1873.  The  apse  was 
adorned  by  Mr.  Armitage,  R.A., 
with  frescoes  representing  Our 
Lord  and  the  Apostles  —  a  design 
characterised  by  the  Atheruteum 
as  '  a  work  of  great  merit.'  The 
church,  which  had  become  some 
what  dilapidated,  was  thoroughly 
restored  and  beautified  in  the 
autumn  of  1884.  New  stations  of 
the  Cross  were  erected,  and  a  hand 
some  screen  under  the  choir  gallery 
set  up.  In  August  1887,  Mr. 
Armitage's  great  picture,  '  The  In 
stitution  of  the  Franciscan  Order,' 
replaced  a  fresco  of  the  same  sub 
ject  set  up  in  1859.  Canon  Oake 
ley  died  January  29,  1880,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Canon  Leopold  Pycke, 
the  present  incumbent. 


230 


JARROW-ON-TYNE,       DTJKHAM 

(Hexham    and     Neivcastle).      St. 
Bede's. 

The  stone  was  laid,  November 
1860,  by  the  Bishop  of  Hexham. 
The  building  of  this  fine  church 
was  largely  due  to  Fr.  Kelly,  who 
collected  much  of  the  money 
required.  The  church  was  opened 
early  in  1862.  In  1883  the  Catho 
lics  of  Jarrow  had  increased  to 
6,000.  To  meet  the  growth  of  the 


congregation  the  church  was  en 
larged  to  double  its  original  size. 
A  new  high  altar  and  exquisitely 
carved  reredos  were  erected  in  the 
church  in  April  1885.  The  reredos 
is  said  to  contain  no  fewer  than 
2,000  pieces  of  stone,  each  symboli 
cally  carved. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Geo.  Meynell,  1862. 

,,    Martin   Hayes,   1885    and   to 
date. 


231 


K 


KEIGHLEY,  YORKS  (Leeds).  St. 
Anne. 

The  mission  was  established 
1835,  and  the  church— described 
at  the  time  as  '  by  far  the  hand 
somest  building  in  Yorkshire' — 
was  opened  by  Bishop  Briggs,  V.A., 
November  21, 1840.  Some  stained- 
glass  windows  were  presented  to 
the  church  in  1841. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Win.  Hampson,  1835. 
„    Robt.  Gibson,  1836. 
T.  Walsh,  1844. 
James  Cullimore,  1854. 
Timothy  O'Connell,  1860. 
Patrick  Kiernan,  here  1871. 
Herbert  Duke,  1881. 
Edw.  Canon  Watson,  1888  to 
date. 


KELVEDON,  ESSEX  (Westmin 
ster).  St.  Mary  Immaculate  and 
the  Holy  Angels. 

The  present  mission  was  esta 
blished  in  1875,  mainly  owing  to  the 
munificence  of  the  late  R.  Rann, 
Esq.,  J.P. — formerly  an  Anglican 
clergyman — who  built  the  church. 
The  building  was  consecrated 
October  24,  1891.  A  series  of  fine 
stained-glass  windows  which  light 
the  church  commemorate  the 
deceased  relatives  of  the  donor. 
Prior  to  the  opening  of  the  mission, 
the  domestic  chapel  of  the  Wright 


family  of  Kelvedon  Hall  was 
attended  by  local  Catholics.  Fr. 
John  Mannock,  O.S.B.,  the  well- 
known  author  of  '  The  Poor  Man's 
Catechism,'  was  chaplain  here  from 
1759  till  his  death,  November  30, 
1764,  aged  eighty-three.  One  of 
his  predecessors  was  Fr.  Sebastian 
Redford,  S.J.  (1756-8),  author  of 
'  An  Important  Enquiry.' 


XEMERTON,  GLOUCESTERSHIRE 

(Clifton).     St.  Bennet. 

This  mission  can  claim  descent 
from  the  ancient  one  at  Beckford, 
where  the  Lee  family  maintained 
a  chapel.  Fr.  Isaac  Gibson,  S.J., 
died  here  in  November  1738.  The 
Hon.  and  Rev.  R.  Dormer  was 
also  here  for  a  time.  Other  priests 
were  Fr.  Placid  Bennett,  O.S.B. 
(1783),  Abbe  Louvelle  (1795?), 
Thos.  Kenyon,  J.  Harrison  ( — ), 
and  Win.  Jolly  (1825).  After  the 
opening  of  the  church  at  Kemerton, 
July  19,  1843,  the  Catholics  of 
Beckford  became  absorbed  in  the 
new  congregation.  The  erection  is 
due  to  the  pious  munificence  of  the 
Eystons,  Tidmarshes,  and  Throck- 
mortons.  Fr.  Samuel  Day  was 
the  first  rector,  being  followed  in 
1848  by  Fr.  Peter  Ridgeway,  who 
was  here  till  1896,  when  Fr.  Alph. 
Thomas,  O.S.B.,  the  present  rector, 
was  appointed, 


232 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


KENDAL,  WESTMORLAND  (Hex- 
ham  and  Newcastle).  Holy 
Trinity  and  St.  George. 

The  mission  was  established 
'  about  1724  '  through  the  efforts  of 
the  Eoydon  family  (see  DODDING 
GREEN).  The  register  dates  from 
1762.  In  1800  Fr.  Thos.  Wilkin 
son  founded  schools  in  Stramon- 
gate.  These  were  rebuilt  by  Dean 
Gibson  to  accommodate  500 
scholars,  and  are  said  to  be  among 
the  finest  of  their  kind  in  the  North 
of  England. 

Priests  since  1800. 
Rev.    T.    Wilkinson    (assisted    by 
various  curates  after  1840 ; 
died  1857). 

„    James  Gibson,  1857. 

,,    Wm.  Stevenson,  1895  to  date. 


KENILWORTH,  WARWICKSHIRE 
(Birmingham}.     St.  Augustine. 

This  church,  which  is  one  of 
Pugin's  '  earliest  attempts  at  Gothic 
revival,'  was  commenced  in  1841, 
but  not  completed  till  the  summer 
of  1852.  It  was  built  at  the 
expense  of  the  Amherst  family, 
then  resident  at  Fieldgate  House. 
The  last  member  of  this  family 
was  Fr.  W.  J.  Amherst,  S.J., 
author  of  the  '  History  of  Catholic 
Emancipation,'  who  died  in  April 
1904.  He  was  brother  of  Bishop 
Amherst,  of  Northampton  (1858- 
79).  The  building  was  restored 
during  the  summer  of  1904,  and 
consecrated  by  Bishop  Ilsley,  of 
Birmingham,  on  September  1  of 
the  same  year.  The  handsome 
brass  sconces  for  the  candles  used 
in  the  consecration  were  presented 
by  Major  Berkeley  and  family,  of 
Fieldgate  House. 


KENSAL  GREEN,  LONDON,  N.W. 

(Westminster). 

Thirty   acres  of  land,  adjoining 
the    celebrated    protestant     burial 
ground,    were    consecrated     as     a 
Catholic   cemetery  in    June    1858 
by  Bishop  Morris,  of  Troy,  assisted 
by  the  Hon.  and  Kev.  E.  Stonor, 
now     Archbishop     of     Trebizond, 
Canon   O'Neal,  &c.      The  mission 
appears   to  have   been   started  in 
the   district   about   1860,  the   first 
priest  being  the  Kev.  John  Moore. 
His  successor  in  1863  was  the  Rev. 
Richard  Bennett.  When  the  Church 
of  Our  Lady  of  the  Holy  Souls  was 
opened   in   1872,  the   mission  had 
for  some  time  been  under  the  care 
of  the  Oblates  of  St.  Charles.  Owing 
to  the   construction  of  the   Great 
Central     Railway,    1893-6,     large 
numbers  of  poor  people  were  com 
pelled    to    leave   Marylebone   and 
contiguous   districts   and   settle  in 
Kensal  Green,  where  it  soon  became 
necessary   to   build    new   Catholic 
schools,  at  a  cost  of  nearly  £4,000. 
The   buildings  were  opened  Tues 
day,  November  28,  1899,  by  Cardi 
nal   Vaughan,   who  paid   a  warm 
tribute  to  the  Rev.  Frs.  Wyndham 
and  Green  for  their  '  great  courage  ' 
in   surmounting    the   local   educa 
tional   difficulty.     The   schools  ac 
commodate     about    900    children. 
At  the  time  of  the  opening  of  the 
schools,  the  Catholic  population  was 
estimated  at  5,000. 


KENSAL    NEW  TOWN,  LONDON, 

N.W.  (Westminster).     Our  Lady  of 
the  Holy  Souls. 

The  church  was  opened  April  13, 
1882,  '  amidst  a  poor  and  thickly 
populated  district.'  A  new  reredos 
was  added  to  the  sanctuary  March 
1889.  The  altar-piece  is  a  copy  of 
the  famous  triptych  by  Stephen 
Loethener  in  Cologne  Cathedral. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


233 


New  schools  were  opened  1892. 
The  mission  was  commenced  by 
the  opening  of  a  school  chapel  in 
November  1872. 

Priests. 
Bev.  Henry  Karslake,  1872. 

„    Francis  Kirk,  1877. 

„    Septimus  Andrews,  1879. 

„    Joseph  Greene,  1882  to  date. 


KENSINGTON,       LONDON,        W. 

(Westminster).     Our  Lady  of  Vic 
tories. 

Mr.  More,  a  Catholic  gentleman 
who  resided  '  in  Kensington  Gore, 
by  London,'  about  1730,  presumably 
had  a  chapel  in  his  house,  as  a  '  Mr. 
Burgis  '  is  given  as  resident  chap 
lain  at  this  time.  This  priest  was 
probably  a  Jesuit.  About  1794 
some  exiled  French  Jesuits  opened 
a  school  at  Kensington  House,  and 
the  few  Catholics  of  the  district 
were  enabled  to  hear  Mass  in  the 
adjoining  chapel.  Richard  Lalor 
Sheil,  the  great  barrister  and  Parlia 
mentary  orator,  was  one  of  their 
pupils  before  proceeding  to  Stony- 
hurst.  The  school  was  closed  about 
1806,  but  the  chapel  was  continued 
owing  to  the  liberality  of  Eichard 
Gillow,  Esq.,  and  Mr.  Kendall,  the 
latter  giving  £100  towards  the  mis 
sion  and  '  many  requisites  for  the 
altar.'  Mr.  Gillow  and  some  friends 
contributed  £500,  with  which  sum 
a  site  was  purchased  and  a  chapel 
erected  in  Holland  Street.  Ele 
mentary  schools  were  established 
about  1830,  and  the  chapel  enlarged 
by  a  sanctuary  a  little  later.  The 
structure,  with  a  few  subsequent 
improvements,  served  till  the 
opening  of  the  present  handsome  I 
Decorated  Gothic  church  by  Arch 
bishop  Manning,  1869.  The  build 
ing  consists  of  a  nave,  sanctuary, 


and  two  aisles,  the  interior  being 
lighted  by  a  clerestory  and  east 
windows.  For  over  thirty  years 
the  church  '  played  the  honourable 
role  of  pro-cathedral.'  The  build 
ing  was  consecrated  by  Cardinal 
Vaughan,  May  1,  1901.  A  new 
boys'  school,  to  accommodate 
ninety  pupils,  was  opened  in 
Warwick  Road  by  Archbishop 
Bourne,  April  21,  1906.  Mr.  Goldie 
was  the  architect  ;  cost  about 
£4,000. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Gilles  Vielle,  1806. 

Dominic  Le  Houx,  1828. 

Wm.  Bugden,  1840. 

Charles  Woolett,  1851. 

James  Foley,  1860. 

Mgr.  J.  Rouse,  D.D.,  1879. 

Mgr.   C.   Harrington    Moore, 

1885. 

„    Michael  Canon  Fanning,  1889 
to  date. 


KENSINGTON,        LONDON,       W. 

(Westminster).   Oar  Lady  of  Mount 
Carmel  and  St.  Simon  Stock. 

The  Order  of  Mount  Carmel 
(White  Friars)  was  introduced  into 
England  by  St.  Simon  Stock  (1240). 
After  the  Reformation  many  of  the 
fathers  laboured  on  the  English 
mission.  In  1861,  Fr.  Herman 
Cohen,  who  had  been  converted 
from  Judaism  at  Rome,  opened  a 
house  of  the  Order  in  Kensington 
Square.  It  was  afterwards  removed 
to  Vicarage  Place.  Here  an  old 
schoolroom  was  turned  into  an 
oratory,  and  opened  October  15, 
1861.  Mgr.  Manning  preached  on 
the  glories  of  the  Carmelite  Order. 
The  relics  of  St.  Simon  Stock  were 
solemnly  deposited  in  a  shrine 
beneath  the  high  altar  by  Cardinal 
Wiseman  May  16,  1864,  The  pre- 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


sent  church,  by  E.  Pugin,  was  huilt 
1866. 


KENTISH     TOWN,    LONDON,    N. 

(Westminster).  Our  Lady  Help  of 
Christians. 

A  chapel  was  opened  in  Kentish 
Town  by  Fr.  Harding  Ivors  in 
November  1846.  The  Count  de 
Montemolin  subscribed  £20  towards 
the  expenses  of  the  new  mission. 
In  July  1847,  a  learned  Jewish 
gentleman  lectured  in  the  chapel 
on  the  corruptions  and  interpola 
tions  of  the  authorised  version  of 
the  Scriptures,  and  advised  the 
many  protestants  present  to  use 
the  Douai  Bible.  Great  sensation 
was  caused  by  this  incident,  and 
the  report  was,  of  course,  circulated 
that  the  Rabbi  was  'a  Jesuit  in 
disguise  '  !  About  this  time  Fr. 
Ignatius  Grant,  of  the  Passionist 
Order,  gave  £100  towards  the  fund 
that  had  been  started  for  a  new 
church.  Soon  the  little  chapel  in 
Fitzroy  Terrace,  which  only  accom 
modated  150  persons,  had  to  be  ex 
changed  for  a  larger  building  in 
Gospel  Terrace,  where  Fr.  Ivers 
had  the  assistance  of  Fr.  Faa  di 
Bruno,  author  of  '  Catholic  Belief.' 
In  1856  Fr.  Robt.  Swift  was  the 
priest  at  Kentish  Town.  Two  years 
later  (August  1858),  the  stone  of  the 
church  was  blessed  and  laid  by 
Cardinal  Wiseman.  The  opening 
took  place  in  August  1859.  In  the 
autumn  of  1876  the  church  was 
quite  transformed  by  several  im 
provements,  amongst  which  may 
be  noted  the  high  altar  of  stone  and 
alabaster  and  a  carved  reredos. 

N.B.-Fr.  William  Prichard,  a 
Lisbonian,  died  at  Kentish  Town 
October  22,  1734,  whence  it  may  be 
inferred  that  even  at  this  date  there 
were  some  Catholics  in  the  district, 


KESWICK,  CUMBERLAND  (Hex- 
ham  and  Newcastle). 

In  the  summer  of  1861  a  room 
was  fitted  up  as  a  chapel  and  Mass 
said  '  by  any  priest  who  happened 
to  be  staying  there.'  At  that  time 
there  were  fifty  '  very  poor  Catho 
lics  '  in  Keswick,  and  no  mission 
nearer  than  Cockerrnouth,  about 
thirteen  miles  off.  No  further  men 
tion  is  made  of  the  place  in  the 
*  Catholic  Directory  '  after  this  till 
about  1903,  when  the  mission  is 
described  as  served  from  Cocker- 
mouth. 


KETTERING,         NORTHAMPTON 

(Northampton}.    St.  Edward. 

A  new  mission  was  started  here 
i  in  October  1891,  when  the  tem 
porary  chapel  was  served  by  Fr. 
,  H.  Stanley,  of  the  Bishops'  House, 
j  Northampton.  A  site  for  church 
and  presbytery  was  secured  about 
this  time.  The  chapel  was  at  first  in 
a  shoe  factory  in  Church  Walk, 
near  the  parish  church.  In  Novem 
ber  1891  Fr.  Stanley  went  to  live 
permanently  at  Kettering,  his  resi 
dence  being  13  The  Grove,  Ketter 
ing.  The  new  church  was  opened 
in  January  1893.  It  is  a  large  and 
commanding  structure,  'fitted  up 
in  most  excellent  fashion.'  The  cost 
of  erection  was  about  £1,300.  In 
the  parish  of  Kettering  stands 
Rushton  Hall,  an  old  Elizabethan 
mansion,  formerly  the  residence  of 
the  Treshams.  It  contains  many 
priests'  hiding-places,  and  in  one 
of  these  some  interesting  family 
documents  and  rare  controversial 
tracts — among  them  'The  Spiritual 
Conflict,'  by  Hierome  Count  of 
Portia  —  were  accidentally  dis 
covered  in  1828.  The  house  is  now 
leased  by  Mr.  James  Van  Allen,  an 
American  gentleman. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


235 


KEW,  SURREY    (Southward). 

The  Rev.  M.  Cummins,  of  the 
Marist  Congregation,  was  appointed 
to  this  newly  formed  mission  in 
1898.  The  chapel  is  a  temporary 
one  at  the  clergy  house,  14  Kew 
Gardens  Road.  The  congregation  at 
the  time  the  mission  was  started 
was  described  as  '  a  small  and 
scattered  flock,'  and  the  character 
of  the  neighbourhood  as  '  indif 
ferent.' 


KIDDERMINSTER,  WORCESTER 
SHIRE  (Birmingham).  St.  Am 
brose. 

In  1831,  Bishop  Walsh,  V.A.,  sent 
Fr.  C.  J.  O'Connor  to  found  the 
mission.  Fr.  O'Connor  brought 
the  congregation  up  to  100.  Mass 
was  said  in  a  hired  Methodist 
chapel,  the  first  being  offered  up 
on  Trinity  Sunday  1831.  John 
Jeffreys,  Esq.,  a  Unitarian  gentle 
man,  was  a  great  benefactor  to  the 
mission,  as  were  also  James  Mack- 
rell,  Esq.,  of  Harvington,  and  Sir 
Edward  Blount,  Bart.  A  chapel 
was  built,  and  opened  November  15, 
1834,  when  the  Mass  was  sung  by 
the  Hon.  and  Rev.  G.  Spencer. 
Fr.  O'Sullivan,  of  Wolverhampton, 
preached  on  the  authority  of  the 
Church.  Seating  capacity  of  the 
building  for  300.  Much  interest 
was  evoked  in  the  neighbourhood, 
and  several  protestant  clergymen 
attended  the  inaugural  Mass.  The 
chapel  of  1834  was  replaced  in  1858 
by  a  church  in  the  Geometrical 
style.  Messrs.  Meredith  and  Prit- 
chard  designed  the  spire,  which 
was  finished  December  11,  1901. 
The  opening  ceremony  was  attended 
by  the  mayor  and  corporation  of 
Kidderminster, 


KIDSGROVE,     STAFFS       (Birm 
ingham).     St.  John  the  Evangelist. 

The    mission     was     established 
1892. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Thomas  Kenny,  1892. 

,,    Raymond  Haskew,  1901. 

,,    Francis  J.  Swift,  1903  to  date. 


KILBURN,  LONDON,  N.W.  (West 
minster).  The  Sacred  Heart  of 
Jesus. 

In  1800  Kilburn  was  in  the 
country,  and  famous  for  its  hot 
springs.  Half  a  century  later,  it 
was  part  of  London.  In  1864, 
Cardinal  Wiseman  asked  the  Ob- 
lates  of  Mary  Immaculate  to  take 
spiritual  charge  of  the  district. 
From  that  date  till  1868  Mass  was 
said  on  Sundays  and  festivals  in  a 
house  in  Greville  Place.  In  the  last- 
named  year  the  priory  was  opened 
in  Quex  Road,  and  the  library 
served  for  a  chapel.  The  fine 
church,  in  the  Early  Decorated  style, 
was  opened  by  Cardinal  Manning, 
May  8,  1879.  The  accommodation 
is  for  about  500.  Messrs.  Pugin 
were  the  architects. 


KILVINGTON,    THIRSK,    YORKS 

(Middlesbrough).     St.  Anne. 

Kilvington  Hall  has  been  for 
generations  the  seat  of  the  Meynell 
family,  great  sufferers  in  times  past 
for  the  Faith.  This  mission  has 
existed  from  about  the  end  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  Colonel  Thos. 
Meynell  commanded  a  regiment  of 
horse  for  Charles  I.,  and  was  slain 
in  an  encounter  with  the  Parlia 
mentarians  near  Pontefract  Castle, 
1644.  Several  other  members  of 
the  family  have  been  priests  of  the 


236 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Society   of  Jesus.      The   registers 
date  from  1775. 

Priests  of  the  Mission. 
Kev.    Geo.    Grange,    or   Carnaby, 

O.S.B.,  about  1633-73. 
„       Thos.  Helme,  O.S.B.,  1704. 
„       Wm.  Davis,  O.S.B.,  1728. 
„       Robt.  Stanfield,  S.J.,  1731. 
„       Joseph  Wright,  S.J.,  1741. 
„       Francis  Digges,  S.J.,  1743. 
„       Jn.  Rigmayden,  alias  Roth- 

well,  S.J.,  1749. 
„       Jn.  Jones,  1782. 
„       Robt.  Tindall,  1788. 

(Seculars     served     mission 

1811-18.) 
„       Thos.  Austin  Lawson,O.S.B., 

1818. 

„       Edw.  Metcalfe,  1822. 
„       Joseph  Orrell,  1824. 
„       James  Blundell,  1827. 
„       Richard  Brown,  1834. 
„       Chas.  Brigham,  1834. 
„       Edw.  Canon  Crane,  1835. 
,,       Jas.  Canon  Sherwood,  1859. 
„       Henry  Walker,  1862. 

Thos.  Rigby,  1863. 
„       Michael  Fryer,  1864. 
„       Luke  Burke,  1869. 
„       Gerald  Shanahan,  1876. 
„       Alfred  Galli,  1877. 
„       Jas.  Atkinson,  1878. 

Maurice  Trant,  1879. 
„       Edmund  Kennedy,  1882. 

Richard  Howley,  D.D.,  1883. 
„       Charles  Donovan,  1884. 
„       Thos.  Canon  Holland,  1885. 
„       Lawrence  McGonnell,  1888. 

Chas.  Donovan,  1890. 
,,      J.  Dewe,  1898. 


KINGSBRIDGE,  DEVON  (Ply 
mouth). 

Woods  Farm  House,  three 
miles  from  Kingsbridge,  was  taken 
by  the  Trappist  Fathers  expelled  j 


from  France,  December  1901.  They 
came  from  Mount  Melleraye,  and 
are  the  same  Order  that  occupied 
the  monastery  of  St.  Susanna,  Lul- 
worth,  1800-15. 


KINGSHEATH,        BIRMINGHAM 

(Birmingham).     St.  Dunstan. 

The  church  was  opened  1896. 
Fr.  Michael  Dolan,  first  and  present 
rector. 


KINGSLAND,  LONDON,  N.  (West 
minster).  Our  Lady  and  St. 
Joseph. 

4  The  mission  was  begun  in 
October  1854  by  the  Fathers  of 
Charity.'  Mass  was  first  said  in 
the  house  of  Thomas  Kelly,  Esq., 
resident  in  the  Tottenham  Road. 
The  church,  '  a  spacious  brick 
edifice,'  was  originally  intended  for 
a  factory,  but  was  altered  into  a 
place  of  worship  by  the  skill  of 
Wardell,  the  eminent  architect. 
The  building  was  opened  Septem 
ber  29,  1856,  by  Cardinal  Wiseman. 
The  chancel  is  conspicuous  by  a 
splendid  reredos  displaying  pic 
tures,  by  Barff,  of  Our  Lord,  St. 
Augustine  of  Hippo,  and  St. 
Thomas  Aquinas.  The  golden 
jubilee  of  the  mission  was  cele 
brated  Sunday,  October  16,  1904, 
when  an  impressive  sermon  was 
preached  by  Archbishop  Bourne, 
of  Westminster.  At  the  first  Mass 
offered  up  in  the  parish,  about 
fifteen  persons  are  recorded  to 
have  been  present.  During  the 
fifty  years  of  the  church's  exis 
tence,  upwards  of  3,750  persons  had 
received  holy  baptism  from  its 
several  pastors.  The  well- 

known  Father  Lockheart,  of  the 
Institute  of  Charity,  was  for  up 
wards  of  twenty  years  rector  of  the 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


237 


mission.  Daring  the  ten  years 
that  Mgr.  Hewlett,  D.D.,  held  the 
incumbency  (1895-1905)  the  mis 
sion  debt  was  reduced  from  £3,800 
to  £1,800,  apart  from  an  expendi 
ture  of  £2,000  on  various  repairs 
and  improvements.  Fr.  Thos. 
Walsh  in  the  present  rector. 


KING'S  LYNN,  NORFOLK  (North- 
Hampton). 

The  church  was  erected  in  1845 
by  Fr.  John  Dalton.  The  nave, 
built  at  a  cost  of  £650,  was  the 
first  part  of  the  church  opened. 
Fr.  George  Rigby,  afterwards 
Canon  of  Northampton,  succeeded 
Fr.  Dalton  in  1847.  Strangely 
enough,  when  Canon  Rigby  died, 
Fr.  Dalton,  now  a  canon,  took  his 
place.  Fr.  G.  Wrigglesworth  about 
1887  thoroughly  restored  the  altar. 
Some  candelabra  and  sanctuary 
lamps  were  presented  to  the  church 
at  this  time  by  Mr.  Blake.  The 
old  building  being  declared  unsafe, 
a  new  church  was  commenced  in 
October  1896,  and  opened  in  1897. 
The  style  is  Decorated  Gothic. 
Some  of  the  candlesticks  used  in 
the  church  are  old  pre- Reformation 
ones  from  the  priory  of  Walsing- 
ham,  in  the  neighbourhood. 


KINGSTON-ON-THAMES,  SURREY 

(S 'out hivarli).     St.  Agatha. 

The  church  was  opened  Thurs 
day,  December  21, 1899,  by  Bishop 
Bourne,  of  Southwark.  The  build 
ing,  which  was  erected  at  the  cost 
of  Mrs.  Currie,  of  Kingston  Hill,  is 
in  the  Roman  style  of  about  the 
fifth  century.  The  edifice  com 
prises  a  sanctuary,  terminating  in  a 
semicircular  apse,  nave,  two  aisles, 


and  two  side  chapels.  The  interior 
is  lighted  during  the  day  by  twelve 
clerestory  windows  and  at  night  by 
electricity.  In  addition  to  defray 
ing  the  building  expenses  (£6,000) 
Mrs.  Currie  generously  presented 
the  church  with  an  organ.  Fr. 
Caspar  Lutz,  who  has  been  at 
Kingston  since  1894,  has  erected 
the  presbytery  and  schools  adjoin 
ing. 


KINGSWOOD,  BRISTOL  (Clifton). 
St.  Joseph. 

The  Redemptorist  monastery 
was  founded  1901,  Fr.  George 
Nicholson,  C.SS.R.,  being  first 
superior.  The  late  Fr.  P.  Lasseter 
succeeded  him  in  1904. 


KIRKDALE,     LIVERPOOL.        St. 

John. 

In  1870,  a  Nonconformist  chapel 
in  Claremont  Grove  (now  Foun 
tains  Road)  was  purchased,  and 
early  in  1871  opened  for  Catholic 
worship.  In  1883  the  old  chapel 
was  far  too  small  for  the  congrega 
tion.  By  multiplying  Masses, 
1,200  persons  could  attend  to  their 
duties  on  Sundays.  The  new 
Gothic  church  was  opened  Sunday, 
November  21,  1885.  The  seating 
accommodation  is  for  800;  total 
cost  about  £6,700.  In  1875  the 
congregation  numbered  2,700.  In 
1882  it  had  increased  to  7,500.  In 
1885,  when  another  mission  had 
taken  away  2,000,  the  congregation 
numbered  6,700.  Fr.  P.  Power 
was  priest  at  the  time  of  opening, 
New  and  handsome  stations  of  the 
Cross  by  Ball,  of  Dublin,  were 
erected  in  the  church  in  January 
1887.  Messrs.  J.  and  B.  Sinnolt 
were  the  architects  of  the  church. 


238 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


KIRTLING  TOWER,  CAMBRIDGE 
SHIRE  (Northampton).  Mary 
Immaculate  and  St.  Philip. 

The  mission  was  started  in  1871, 
Mass  being  said  in  an  iron  chapel 
on  the  estate  of  the  Hon.  W. 
North.  The  present  church  was 
opened  April  17,  1877,  on  nearly 
the  same  site.  C.  Buckler  was  the 
architect.  For  many  years  the 
mission  was  served  from  New 
market,  but  in  1896  Fr.  F.  Donovan 
was  appointed  resident  priest.  He 
commenced  his  pastorate  by  a 
series  of  lectures  on  Catholic  faith 
and  practice,  which  were  very  well 
attended. 


KNARESBORO',   YORKS    (Let 
St.  Mary. 

The  mission  is  a  continuation  of 
that  at  Follifoot,  where  the  Plump- 
ton  family  possessed  considerable 
property.  They  became  extinct  in 
the  male  line  1755.  The  district 
was  then,  as  it  is  now,  served  by 
Benedictines.  The  mission  register 
dates  from  1765,  but  no  priest's  sig 
nature  appears  till  January  4, 1797. 
Knaresboro'  Chapel,  in  Briggate, 
was  built  in  1790  by  Mr.  Thornton, 
a  cotton  manufacturer,  who  became 
bankrupt  owing  to  losses  during  the 
French  war.  About  sixty  persons 
were  confirmed  here  by  Bishop 
Gibson,  V.A.,  November  9,  1808. 
Fr.  Denis  Allerton,  O.S.B.,  was 
priest  at  this  time.  He  probably 
succeeded  Fr.  T.  Appleton. 


Priests  from  1824. 
Eev.  J.  Barber,  1824. 
J.  Prest,  1826. 
Eobt.  Bretherton,  1828. 
Ealph  Pratt,  1830. 
Wm.  Hampson,  1839  or  1840. 
Geo.  Gillett,  1857. 
Edw.  Lynass,  O.S.B.,  1874. 
Charles     G.     Smith,    O.S.B., 

1885. 

Essington  Koss,  O.S.B.,  1890. 
Charles    Smith,    O.S.B.,  1892 

„    Alf.  Wilson,  O.S.B.,  1896  and 
to  date. 

KNUTSFORD,         CHESHIRE 

(Shrewsbury).       St.     Vincent     of 
Paul,  Queen  Street. 

Until  the  starting  of  this  mis 
sion,  in  October  1862,  the  nearest 
Catholic  chapel  was  at  Altrincham. 
In  1862  the  Catholic  population  of 
Knutsford  amounted  to  about  400. 
The  church  was  opened  by  Fr. 
Alcock,  of  Altrincham,  on  Sunday, 
September  16,  1866.  The  build 
ing  was  used  as  a  school  on  week 
days.  In  1860-1  Mass  was  said  at 
various  places,  first  at  Caldwell's 
Farm,  Over  Tabley,  then  in  a 
room  of  a  public-house  in  the 
Manchester  Road,  Knutsford,  and 
lastly  in  the  hired  room  in  King 
Street. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Hugh  Lynch,  1861. 

(1865-7   served  from   Altrin 
cham.) 

„    Daniel  Casey,  1867. 

„    Patrick  O'Reilly,  1876. 

„    Robert  Maurice,  1879. 

„    John  St.  Roche,  1903. 


239 


LANCASTER  (Liverpool).  St. 
Peter. 

In  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  the 
country  round  Lancaster  is  de 
scribed  as  being  '  full  of  Seminary 
priests  and  gentlemen  recusants 
who  harbour  them.'  The  Ven. 
Thos.  Woodcock,  O.S.F.,  suffered 
for  the  Faith  at  Liverpool  August  7, 
1646.  His  head  was  kept  at  St. 
Bonaventure's,  Douai,  prior  to  the 
Revolution,  and  an  arm-bone  of  the 
martyr  is  now  preserved  by  the 
Franciscan  nuns  at  Taunton.  In 
1710  the  V.G.  of  the  Lancashire 
clergy  resided  in  the  town.  About 
1753,  Fr.  Nicholas  Skelton,  who 
had  '  assisted '  the  Catholics  of  the 
place  for  over  forty  years,  erected  a 
'  retired  chapel '  at  the  back  of  his 
house.  This  worthy  priest  died 
1775,  'full  of  years.'  He  was  for 
a  long  time  befriended  and  pro 
tected  by  the  Duchess  of  Hamilton. 
When  Bishop  Gibson  came  to  con 
firm  in  1790,  it  was  not  thought 
prudent  to  have  the  rite  adminis 
tered  in  the  town,  and  the  candi 
dates  had  to  go  to  the  chapel  of 
the  Daltons,  two  miles  away  !  In 
1799  a  large  chapel  was  erected  by 
subscription  in  Dalton  Square. 
Richard  Gillow,  Esq.,  founder  of 
the  Margate  mission,  was  a 
generous  contributor  to  the  fund. 
The  present  Gothic  church  was 
commenced  1857,  and  consecrated 
by  Bishop  GQSS,  of  Liverpool, 


October  4,  1859.  A  splendid  high 
altar  was  presented  by  Mrs.  Gabriel 
Coulston,  and  a  Lady  Chapel  by  Miss 
Elizabeth  Dalton,  the  last  of  that 
ancient  family.  The  north  tran 
sept  is  lighted  by  a  beautiful  stained- 
glass  window  representing  the 
English  martyrs.  New  sacristies 
were  erected  1887,  the  church 
redecorated  1895,  and  the  presby 
tery  enlarged  1896. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Thos.  Hays,  1678  (?). 
„  Peter  Gooden,  1692. 
„  Edw.  Hawarden,  1694.  ('  A 
glorious  preacher.'  He  re 
futed  the  Unitarian  Dr. 
Clarke  in  the  presence  of 
Queen  Caroline,  consort  of 
George  II.,  and  received  the 
public  thanks  of  the  Uni 
versity  of  Oxford  for  the 
same. ) 

„    Nicholas  Skelton,  1714. 
,,    James  Tyrer,  1766. 
,,    Jn.  Rigby,  D.D.    (Sorbonne), 

1784. 
„    Geo.  Brown,  1818  (Bishop  of 

Liverpool  1850). 
„    Richard  Brown,  1840. 
„    Wm.  Canon  Walker,  1869. 
„    Richard  Billington,  1893. 


LANCASTER. 
SKERTON. 


St.   Joseph's,   see 


240 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


LANCHESTER,  DURHAM  (Hex- 
liarn  and  Newcastle).  All  Saints. 

The  mission  was  founded  1748 
at  Pontop  Hall.  The  register  of 
deaths  was  in  existence  November 
1778.  Some  names  entered  are  as 
follows  :  '  Margarita  Punshon,  obiit 
18  January,  1780';  'Joa.  Winship, 
obiit  die  19  January,  1781  '  ;  '  Ric. 
Carrick,  obiit  20  April,  1781.'  Fr. 
John  Lingard,  the  historian,  was 
here  for  a  time,  1796;  Fr.  John  Jones 
about  1797 ;  Fr.  Thomas  Eyre  about 
1803.  Fr.  John  Bell  came  April  1, 
1803.  No  mention  is  made  of  the 
mission  from  1824  till  1901.  In 
the  autumn  of  1899  Fr.  Samuel 
Harris  commenced  appealing  for  a 
church  in  this  district,  which  con 
tained  many  Catholics.  The  church 
was  commenced  in  the  spring  of 
1900,  and  opened  1901.  Cost  of 
erection  about  £1,500. 


LANGLEY       MOOR,       DURHAM. 

(HexJiam     and    Newcastle).      St. 
Patrick. 

Mission   established    187G,    and 
chapel  erected  the  same  year. 

Priests. 
Rev.  James  Hanley,  1876. 

„    Richard  Hannan,  1882. 

,    James  Thorman,  1899  to  date. 


LANGPORT,        SOMERSETSHIRE 

(Clifton). 

In  1904  the  Soeurs  de  St.  Gildas 
acquired  Hill  House  for  a  convent. 
The  chapel  is  open  to  the  public, 
Fr.  E.  Trebeden,  chaplain. 


LANHERNE,  CORNWALL  (Ply. 
mouth).  SS.  Joseph  and  Anne. 

The  manor  of  Lanherne  came 
into  the  possession  of  the  Lords 
Arundell  of  Wardour  about  1690, 
but  the  family  did  not  often  reside 
in  this  remote  place.  In  August 
1794,  Henry  eighth  Lord  Arundell 
gave  the  manor  house  to  the 
Carmelite  nuns  fleeing  from  the 
French  Revolution.  In  gratitude 
for  the  hospitality  afforded  them  by 
England  the  nuns  have  since 
daily  recited  the  prayer  for  the 
Sovereign, '  Domine  salvumfac,'  &c., 
in  their  office.  Though  strictly 
enclosed  by  their  rule,  the  nuns 
threw  open  their  chapel  to  the  few 
neighbouring  Catholics,  mostly  ten 
ants  of  Lord  Arundell,  and  so  nume 
rous  did  the  congregation  become, 
that  in  1797  the  drawing-room  of 
the  mansion  had  to  be  fitted  up  as 
an  oratory.  A  church  has  long  since 
taken  the  place  of  the  domestic 
chapel.  In  virtue  of  the  gift  of 
Lord  Arundell,  the  nuns  obtained 
certain  rights  over  a  chapel  in  the 
parish  church,  and  here  several  of 
the  community  were  interred  among 
the  deceased  members  of  their  noble 
patron's  family,  until  a  private 
cemetery  was  opened  in  the  convent 
grounds.  A  splendid  high  altar, 
designed  by  Canon  Scoles,  was 
consecrated  in  the  convent  church 
August  1893. 

Priests  at  Lanherne  (list  in- 

complete). 

Rev.  Boniface  Hall,  1756. 
„    Thos.  Lodge,  1758. 
„    Lorymer,  1762. 

Wilfrid  Strutt,  1770. 

Placid  Bennet,  1780. 

Abbe  Riout,  1794. 

John   de  la   Fosse,  1802    till 
1817. 

Charles  Lengronne,  1806. 

Maurice  Connor,  1823. 

Louis  Dourlens,  1827. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


211 


Ecv.  Wrn.  Cooke,  1839. 
Mgr.  Weld,  1844. 
Joseph  Prost,  1849. 
M.  Oleron,  1850. 
Patrick  Walsh,  1852. 
Joseph  Bunn,  1860. 
E.  W.  Meager,  here  1872. 
David  Coleman,  1877. 
John  Kennedy,  1879. 
Wm.  Dawson,  1882. 
John  Corbishley,  1891  to  date. 


LARTINGTON,  near  BARNARD 
CASTLE,  YORKS  (Middlesbrough). 

Lartington  Hall  is  the  seat  of 
the  ancient  Catholic  family  of 
Maire.  A  mission  has  existed 
here  since  1700.  After  the  opening 
of  the  Barnard  Castle  chapel,  in 
the  vicinity,  by  Bishop  Eiddell, 
V.A.,  in  March  1847,  Lartington 
ceased  to  serve  the  Durham  dis 
trict.  The  Catholic  cemetery  of 
Lartingfcon  was  provided  by  Fr.  T. 
Wifcham,  and  in  January  1882  a 
mortuary  chapel  was  erected 
contiguous  to  it  by  the  same  family. 
There  are  memorial  tablets  on  the 
walls  to  Bishop  George  Witham, 
V.A.  (f  April  16,  1725),  Bishop 
\Villiarn  Maire  (t  July  25,  1725), 
Sir  H.  Lawson,  Bart.,  of  Brough 
(1750-1834),  &c. 


LATCHFORD,  CHESHIRE  (Shrews 
bury).  Our  Lady  of  the  Assump 
tion. 

Until  1866  the  nearest  chapel 
was  at  Warrington.  On  Sunday, 
October  2,  1869,  Mass  was  said  for 
the  first  time  in  a  building  known 
as  '  the  Old  Factory.'  In  Septem 
ber  1871,  a  school  chapel  was 
opened.  In  1901  a  new  church 


was  commenced,  and  opened  in 
1902.  The  presbytery  was  built  in 
1898. 

Eev.  H.  Alcock,  1866. 

T.  Mulvanny,  1870. 
W.  Dallow,  1831. 
J.  Thompson,  1832. 
E.  Hanlon,  1889. 
J.  Hennelly,  1891. 
W.  Stanley,  1896. 
J.  McGrath,  1898. 


LAUNCESTON,  CORNWALL  (Ply. 

mouth). 

This  town  will  ever  be  famous 
as  the  scene  of  the  martyrdom  of 
the  blessed  Cuthbert  Maine,  the 
protomartyr  of  Douai  College.  He 
was  arrested  in  the  house  of  Mr. 
Tregian,  owner  of  Tremolla  and 
other  large  estates  in  Cornwall,  and 
on  November  29,  1577,  hanged  and 
quartered  at  Launceston  for  deny 
ing  the  spiritual  supremacy  of 
Queen  Elizabeth  and  for  having 
said  Mass.  A  mission  was  started 
here  in  September  1886— the  year 
of  the  beatification  of  the  English 
martyrs— and  placed  in  charge  of 
Fr.  Chas.  B.  Langdon,  M.A.  (Oxon.), 
sometime  a  clergyman  in  the 
Church  of  England.  The  first 
chapel  was  in  a  house  called  Kensey 
View,  on  St.  Stephen's  Hill,  for 
merly  occupied  by  Fr.  Langdon's 
family.  As  the  congregation  in 
creased,  he  built  a  small  wooden 
church,  opened  November  28, 
1887.  The  design  of  the  building 
was  drawn  up  by  his  brother  Arthur. 
The  accommodation  is  for  120. 
The  altar  was  decorated  by  Mr. 
Bolger,  of  Devonport. 


LAWKLAND,  YORKS.    St.  Oswald. 

The  mission  was  anciently  served 

from    Lawkland    Hall,    till    1790 


242 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


when  the  chapel  was  '  removed  to 
its  present  locality.'  The  registers 
commence  June  29,  1745,  with  the 
baptism  of  Ann  Taylor  by  Fr. 
James  Legrand,  O.S.B.,  who  resided 
with  John  Stephen  Ingleby,  Esq. 
This  gentleman  was  either  a  son 
or  nephew  of  Sir  Charles  Ingleby, 
serjeant-at-law,  who  died  1720. 
The  last  of  this  branch  of  the 
family  died  1844. 

Priests  since  1824. 
Rev.  Jn.  Clarkson. 

Jn.  Barber,  1826. 

R.  Marsh,  1833. 

H.  Button,  1840. 

C.  F.  Kershaw,  1842. 

J.  Dewhurst,  1846. 

C.  Kershaw,  1848. 

Geo.  Gillet,  1852. 

Wm.  Hampson,  1857. 

Robt.  Garstang,  1863. 

Wm.    Smith,   here    1871    till 

1881. 

Mission    served   from   Bentham 
1883-90;  now  from  Settle. 


LEA,  PRESTON,  LANGS  (Liver 
pool).  St.  Mary. 

The  old  chapel  was  at  Salwick 
Hall,  the  baptismal  registers  dating 
from  1775.  The  Cliftons  of  Lytham 
were  the  ancient  patrons  of  the 
mission,  and  did  much  to  keep 
alive  the  Faith  in  the  district  during 
'  the  dismal  times  of  persecution.' 
(letter  of  Bishop  Goss  to  Rev.  W. 
S.  Haddocks,  1866).  When  the 
chapel  at  Salwick  Hall  was  shut  up 
the  congregation  built  the  present 
chapel  and  presbytery  (1799-1800). 
The  schools  were  erected  in  1860. 
Bishop  Gradwell  of  Lydda  and 
Bishop  Brown  of  Liverpool  were 
natives  of  Lea.  In  1888  the  church 
and  presbytery  were  re-roofed  and 
a  stone  belfry  erected. 


Priests  since  1808. 
Rev.  J.  Haydock. 
Jn.  Anderton. 
Richard  Albot,  1826. 
Chas.  Walker,  1837. 
Richard  Doyle,  1871. 
Henry  Clements,  1874. 
James  Eager,  1882. 
John  O'Reilly,  1885. 
Fredk.  D'Heuter,  1895. 
James  Gardner,  1897  to  date. 


LEAMINGTON,  WARWICKSHIRE 

(Birmingham).     St.  Peter. 

Before  the  establishment  of  the 
mission  the  place  was  visited  by 
the  priest  at  Wappenbury.  In  1822, 
an  Irish  prelate  who  had  visited 
the  spa  induced  Bishop  Milner  to 
establish  a  mission  in  the  town. 
In  October  1828  'an  elegant  and 
commodious  chapel'  was  opened 
and  '  a  resident  and  exclusive 
pastor '  provided.  Major  Patrick 
Bisshop  (40th  Regiment)  was  the 
chief  Catholic  resident  at  this  time. 
A  large  church  in  the  Lombardic 
style  was  consecrated  by  Bishop 
Ullathorne  August  17,  1864.  The 
interior  was  very  ornate,  the  taber 
nacle  being  enriched  with  gems  and 
the  dome  of  the  sanctuary  painted. 
On  the  night  of  Wednesday,  Decem 
ber  19,  1883,  the  main  building  was 
accidentally  destroyed  by  fire,  but 
much  valuable  furniture  was  saved. 
Until  the  opening  of  the  new  church 
by  Bishop  Ilsley,  November  11, 
1884,  Mass  was  said  in  the  schools. 
Mrs.  Bennet,  widow  of  Major  Ben- 
net,  was  a  great  benefactress  to  the 
building  fund. 

Rev.  B.  Crosbie,  1824  (?). 

James  McDonnell,  1831. 
Wm.  Cunningham,  1840. 
Hy.  AVeedall,  D.D.,  1844. 
Francis  Fairfax,  1850. 
James  Canon  Jeffries,  1852. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


243 


Rev.  Verney  Cave  Brown,  1882. 
„    Thos.  Canon  Longman,  1885. 
„    James  Nary,  1892. 
„    Mgr.  Canon  Souter,  1895. 
,,    Wm.  Canon  Greaney,  1901  to 
date. 


LEDBURY,         HEREFORDSHIRE 

(Newport}.     St.  Thomas   of  Here 
ford. 

The  Benedictines,  assisted  by 
Edw.  Hanford,  Esq.,  opened  a  boys' 
school  near  here  about  1733.  Ow 
ing  to  the  penal  laws  it  had  to  be 
closed  about  1740.  The  present 
mission  dates  from  about  1900.  Fr. 
C.  Begley,  rector. 


LEE  HOUSE,    PRESTON,     LANCS 

(Salford).     St.  William. 

The  chapel  was  founded  1738 
by  Thos.  Eccles,  Esq.,  who  endowed  ! 
the  mission  with  three  farms  at  j 
Thornley.  The  mission  was  made 
over  to  the  Franciscans,  '  the  foun-  | 
der's  '  church  stuff  for  priests  and 
altar '  and  '  books  of  religion  '  being 
part  of  the  gift.  In  return  for  these 
the  '  chaplain  '  was  to  '  serve  the 
mission  for  the  Catholics  in  Thorn- 
ley,  Chipping,  and  all  other  Catholic 
people  thereabouts.'  During  the 
rebellion  of  1745,  Fr.  Germanus 
Holmes  was  arrested  and  thrown 
into  Lancaster  Castle,  where  he 
died  the  following  year.  Some 
other  priests  here  were  Fr.  Leo. 
Francis,  1758  ;  Fr.  Jos.  Tate,  1808 ; 
Fr.  Bernardine  Davison,  1820-5. 
Next  year  the  Franciscans  handed 
the  mission  over  to  Bishop  Smith, 
V.A.,  who  appointed  Fr.  P.  Orrell 
rector.  His  successor,  Fr.  F. 
Trappes,  had  a  dispute  with  the 
authorities,  and  the  mission  was 
in  consequence  closed  1840.  In 


October  1859,  the  chapel  —  a  new 
structure,  erected  by  Fr.  Trappes 
— was  reopened  for  worship  by 
the  Bishop  of  Salford,  '  to  the 
great  satisfaction  of  the  Catholics 
in  that  locality.'  The  Benedictines 
have  had  charge  of  the  mission  since 
this  time. 

Priests  since  1860. 
Eev.  G.  Caldwell. 

„    Joseph  Murphy,  1871. 

„    T.  Atkinson,  1874. 

„    Wm.  Watmough,  1877. 

„    J.  Procter,  1882. 

„    J.  Dewhurst,  1885. 

„    F.  Roche,  1888. 

„    J.  Carew,  1892. 

„    J.  Morgan,  1895  to  date 


LEEDS  (Leeds).  Our  Lady  of 
the  Rosary,  Barrack  Street. 

This  church,  a  plain  substantial 
structure  in  the  Gothic  style  of 
architecture,  was  opened  Sunday, 
October  3,  1886.  The  accommoda 
tion  is  for  400  people.  The  cost  of 
erection  was  £3,000.  Messrs.  Kelly 
and  Birchall  were  the  architects. 
The  Bishops  of  Liverpool  and  Leeds 
were  present  at  the  opening.  The 
mission  is  still  j-  served  from  the 
Cathedral. 


LEEDS.     St.  Mary. 

The  Order  of  Mary  Immaculate 
opened  a  foundation  at]  Leeds  in 
1851,  but  it  was  not  till  'May  1853 
that  the  first  stone  of  their  new 
church  was  laid  by  the  Bishop  of 
Beverley.  The  building  was  opened 
on  Wednesday,  July  29,  1857,  by 
Cardinal  Wiseman.  Thousands  of 
persons  filled  the  streets,  and  in 
Mill  Street,  near  the  church,  three 
immense  triumphal  arches  were 
erected.  The  Bishop  of  Marseilles 
R  2 


244 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


celebrated  the  Mass,  and  there  was 
a  large  attendance  of  clergy,  and 
an  '  immense  congregation.'  The 
powerful  sermon  of  the  Cardinal 
on  Ps.  Ixxxix.  17,  made  a  great  im 
pression.  Only  the  nave  and  aisles 
were  completed  at  the  time  of  the 
opening,  the  north  and  south  tran 
septs  and  the  other  portions  of  the 
church  not  being  finished  till  1686. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Robt.  Cooke,  1851. 

„    Thos.  Pinet,  1863. 

„    Lawrence     Roche,     1892     to 
date. 


LEEK,  STAFFS  (Birmingham}. 

About  the  time  of  the  Peace  of 
Amiens  (1803)  the  Abbe  Gerard 
said  Mass  for  the  French  prisoners 
confined  at  Leek  and  the  few  Irish 
labourers  of  the  district,  in  the 
house  of  Mr.  Ward,  a  solicitor  in 
King  Street.  The  Abbe  Gerard  at 
the  same  time  served  Cobridge. 
Fr.  Jeffries,  of  Cheadle,  about  1825, 
hired  a  room  here  and  said  Mass 
for  the  benefit  of  the  few  Catholics 
in  and  around  Leek.  In  1828  he 
commenced  building  a  chapel,  with 
the  assistance  of  the  Earl  of  Shrews 
bury.  The  opening  took  place  May 
1829 — the  year  of  Catholic  Emanci 
pation.  In  1830  a  presbytery  was 
added.  Fr.  "Whitaker  was  priest 
here  in  1832  ;  Fr.  B.  Ivers  in  1838. 
Fr.  J.  F.  Anderson,  who  came  to 
the  chapel  in  1860,  founded  the 
convent  and  in  1864  a  new  chapel, 
on  a  site  generously  given  by  the 
Messrs.  Bermingham.  He  died 
suddenly  Thursday,  May  15,  1884. 
Bishop  Ullathorne  summed  up  his 
work  and  life  in  one  sentence  :  '  No 
debts  and  living  on  17s.  a  week.' 
The  foundation  stone  of  the  new 
church  was  laid  on  Thursday, 
October  15,  1885,  by  Bishop  Ilsley. 


His  Lordship  gave  a  public  dis 
course  on  the  meaning  of  the 
ritual,  which  was  listened  to  with 
great  attention.  About  £760  was 
deposited  on  the  stone,  including 
£700  from  Mrs.  James  Berming 
ham.  The  plan  consists  of  a  nave 
and  two  aisles,  chancel  for  choir, 
side  chapels  and  baptistery.  The 
opening  by  the  Bishop  of  Birming 
ham  (Dr.  Ullathorne)  took  place  in 
May  1887.  The  accommodation  is 
for  600.  Three  of  the  bells  in  the 
belfry  were  presented  by  Fr.  W. 
Waugh  and  Mr.  J.  H.  Sperling.  The 
sanctuary  window  by  Hayes  &  Co. 
is  the  gift  of  Mrs.  J.  Bermingham. 
The  building  was  erected  at  the 
cost  of  Messrs.  John  and  Alfred 
Sperling. 


LEES,    LANCASHIRE    (Salford). 
St.  Edward. 

This  district  is  a  suburb  of  Old- 
ham,  in  the  prosperity  of  which  it 
shares.  The  church  was  opened 
1874  and  served  from  St.  Mary's, 
Oldham,  till  about  1877,  when 
Fr.  M.  O'Callaghan  was  appointed. 
The  successive  rectors  have  been : 
Rev.  Pierce  Griffith,  1880. 

Timothy  Burke,  1882. 

James  Brady,  1885. 

J.  Lathouwers,  1888. 

M.  A.  Holohan,  1893. 

James  Hanrahan,   1894. 

P.  Ryan,  1899  to  date. 


LEICESTER,  HOLY  CROSS  (Not 
tingham). 

The  Dominican  Priory  was  built 
by  Fr.  Chas.  Caestryck,  O.P.,  1817, 
and  some  years  later  he  added  the 
house.  He  died  at  Hinckley,  June  2, 
1844,  aged  eighty-three  and  is  buried 
in  the  church  at  Leicester.  A  pleas- 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


245 


ing  etched  portrait  of  this  excellent 
priest  is  preserved  at  Woodchester. 
It  may  be  remarked  that  the  pre- 
Reformation  Dominican  Priory  at 
Leicester,  dedicated  to  St.  Clement, 
P.M.,  was  founded  in  1247. 

Priors. 
Rev.  Chas.  Caestryck,  1817. 

„    B.  Holme,  1881. 

„    H.  Oxley,  1833. 

„    W.  Nickolds,  1842. 

„    Pius  Cavanagh,  1876. 

„    Ceslas  Fletcher,  1882. 

„    John  Procter,  1885. 

„    Lewis  Thompson,  1888. 

„    Ceslas  Fletcher,  1890. 

„    Thos.  Laws,  1894. 

„    Joseph  Mandy,  1897  to  date. 


LEICESTER  (Nottingham).  St. 
Patrick's. 

The  mission  was  established 
from  Holy  Cross  Church,  Leicester, 
1854,  by  Provost  Nickolds,  but  no 
mention  is  made  of  it  till  after 
1856.  The  temporary  chapel  made 
way  for  the  present  church  in  1867. 
A  scone  altar  was  erected  January 
1879. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Provost  Nickolds,  1854. 

(Served  from  Holy  Cross  for 

many  years.) 

„    Cyril  Bunce,  O.P.,  1874. 
„    P.  Stapleton,  1885. 
,,    T.     Ambrose     Smith,    D.D., 

1888. 
„    Wm.  Hawkins,  1895  to  date. 


LEICESTER.  St.  Peter,  Noble 
Street. 

Mission  established  in  the  town  in 
February  1896,  when  a  portion  of  the 
parish,  hitherto  served  by  the  Do 
minican  Fathers,  was  entrusted  to 
the  spiritual  charge  of  Fr.  J.  Rear- 


don  Kane.  For  some  months  Mass 
was  said  on  Sundays  in  one  of  the 
class  rooms  of  the  local  Board 
School. 

Priests. 
Rev.  J.  Reardon  Kane,  1896. 

„    Fr.  Ellison,  1896  (May). 

„    H.  Fitzgerald,  1897. 

„    Felix  May,  1899. 

„    M.  Griffin,  1902. 


LEICESTER  SQUARE,  LONDON, 
W.C.  (Westminster).  Notre  Dame 
de  France. 

A  temporary  chapel  was  opened 
December  8,  i866,  and  the  present 
church  June  11,  1868.  The  style  is 
Gothic,  the  accommodation  being 
for  about  400.  Since  the  foundation 
the  mission  has  been  under  the  care 
of  the  Marist  Fathers.  The  French 
Hospital  under  the  Nuns  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  is  close  by. 


LEIGH,  LANGS  (Liverpool).  St. 
Joseph. 

Prior  to  1670,  the  domestic  chapel 
at  Culcheth  House  served  the  mis 
sion.  Fr.  John  Penketh,  S.J.,  who 
was  here  in  1678,  was  condemned 
to  death  during  the  Gates  plot, 
but  reprieved  and  released  from 
prison  1685.  Prior  to  the  erection 
of  the  chapel  in  1778,  Mass  was 
said  at  Hopcar,  in  the  house  of  the 
Sale  family,  one  of  whom,  Fr.  John 
Sale,  served  the  mission.  Mass 
was  also  said  at  Parsonage,  the 
seat  of  the  Urmstons,  and  at  Hall 
House.  Fr.  Shaw  built  the  chapel 
1778,  and  presbytery  1789.  Bishop 
Gibson,  V.A.,  confirmed  135  per 
sons  at  Leigh  in  1784.  The  school 
was  erected  1829.  The  present 
church  (Gothic)  was  erected  1855 
from  designs  by  Mr.  Hampden. 


246 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Being  injured  by  a  furious  gale,  it 
was  repaired  1865.  The  church 
tower  was  added  subsequently.  A 
new  infant  school  was  opened,  and 
the  girls'  school  enlarged  1902. 
The  Catholic  population  is  about 
4,628. 

Priests. 
Kev.  J.  Penketh,  1678  (died  August  1, 

1701,  at.  71). 

,,    Sebastian  Needham,  1699. 
„    Robt.  Petre,  1728. 
„    Jn.  Sale,  1733. 
„    Jn.  Shaw,  1776  (died  at  Stony- 
hurst  1808). 
„    Wm.  Poole,  1807. 
„    Edw.  Morron,  1828. 
„    Jn.  Reeve,  1828. 
Jas.  Brownbill,  1840. 
Felix  Poole,  1841. 
Hy.  Beeston,  1843. 
Francis  West,  1843. 
J.  McClune,  1844. 
Jn.  Middlehurst,  1846. 
Anthony  Butler,    1877    (V.A. 

of  Demerara  1878). 
Jas.  Fanning,  1878. 
Hy.  Cowell,  1886. 
Edward  Porter,  1898. 
Henry  Martin,  1899  to  date. 


LEIGHTON  BUZZARD,  BEDFORD 
SHIRE  (Northampton}.  The  Sacred 
Heart. 

Mainly  owing  to  assistance  from 
the  late  Mrs.  White,  a  room  was 
fitted  up  as  a  chapel  over  a  general 
shop  in  North  Street,  1894.  Two 
years  later  the  present  iron  chapel 
was  erected  on  a  freehold  site  in 
Beaudesert ;  the  building  was  blessed 
December  15,  1897,  by  Canon 
Duckett.  Catholics  of  the  district 
number  about  forty.  At  first  pro- 
testant  feeling  ran  very  high,  and 
when  the  presbytery  was  built  by 


Fr.  C.  E.  Reilly  the  windows  were 
broken  by  an  angry  '  No  Popery  ' 
crowd. 

Priests. 
Rev.H.  Parker  (occasionally),  1894. 

„    Chas.  Ed.  Reilly,  1895. 

„    Canon  Stokes,  to  date. 


LEOMINSTER,  HEREFORD  (New 
port).  St.  Ethelbert. 

The  Blessed  Roger  Cadwallador, 
who  laboured  here  as  a  missionary 
priest  for  some  sixteen  years, 
suffered  for  the  faith  at  Leominster, 
August  27,  1610.  There  is  a 
memorial  tablet  to  the  martyred 
priest  in  the  church,  which  was 
erected  here  between  September 
1887  and  May  1888.  Prior  to  the 
opening  of  the  church,  Catholics  of 
the  place  had  to  worship  in  an  old 
brick  building,  originally  a  Dis 
senters'  chapel.  The  site  for  the 
new  church  \vas  obtained  by  Fr.  A. 
Rogers.  The  building  is  in  the 
Perpendicular  style ;  architects, 
Messrs.  Pugin.  The  cost  of  erec 
tion  was  about  £1,300. 

Priest. 

Rev.   Athanasius  Rogers,  1887   to 
date. 


LEVENSHULME,  LANCS  (Sal- 
ford).  St.  Mary  of  the  Angels  and 
St.  Clare. 

The  mission  was  started  1853, 
the  chapel  being  opened  August  21 
of  that  year.  '  A  very  plain  but 
lofty  '  Gothic  church,  designed 
by  Tijou,  took  the  place  of  this 
structure  March  3,  1882.  The 
accommodation  is  for  about  200. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


247 


Priests. 

Rev.  T.  Unsworth,  1853. 
H.  Marshall,  1855. 
H.  Browne,  1857. 
T.  Fox,  1861. 
AVm.  Corry,  1863. 
Provost  Croskell,  1871. 
C.  McDermott  Roe,  1904  to 
date. 


LEWES,  SUSSEX  (Southwark). 
The  Sacred  Heart  and  St.  Pancras. 

The  revival  of  Catholicity  in 
Lewes  is  due  to  the  late  Canon 
Thos.  Drinkwater,  who,  at  the 
suggestion  of  Bishop  Grant  of 
Southwark,  started  the  mission 
in  1865.  Aided  by  Major  and  Mrs. 
Fletcher-Gordon,  of  the  Manor 
House,  St.  George's  Eetreat,  he 
opened  a  chapel  on  the  second 
floor  of  his  house  at  Priory  Cres 
cent,  Lewes.  Before  this  time,  the 
nearest  mission  was  at  Brighton. 
In  1868  Fr.  Hubert  Wood,  one  of 
Canon  Wenham's  curates  at  Mort- 
lake,  was  appointed  to  Lewes  in 
succession  to  Canon  Drinkwater, 
who  went  to  Battersea.  Eev.  H. 
Wood's  father — a  protestant — 
erected  the  present  chapel  and 
clergy  house  in  1870.  The  style  is 
'  pure  Victorian  carpenter's  Gothic,' 
but  the  building  was  never  inten 
ded  to  be  a  church,  only  a  school 
chapel.  The  transfer  of  the 
mission  from  Priory  Crescent  to  the 
present  building  took  place  on 
January  25,  1870.  Since  the 
establishment  of  the  Reformation, 
Lewes  has  been  notorious  for  its 
anti-Catholic  feeling.  We  have 
been  informed  by  Canon  W. 
McAuliffe,  the  priest  of  the  place, 
to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the 
above  details  of  the  mission,  that 
an  effigy  of  the  Pope  continues  to 
be  religiously  burned  on  each 


succeeding  Guy  Fawkes  day. 
The  number  of  Catholics  at  Lewes 
is  about  150,  but  the  mission 
could  not  be  supported  were  it  not 
for  the  endowment  left  for  the 
purpose  by  Fr.  Wood.  Bishop 
Challoner,  Vicar  Apostolic  of  the 

I  London  district  (1758-81),  was 
born  here  in  1691.  He  was  pro 
bably  converted  tolthe  Faith  in  the 
family  of  Sir  Thomas  Gage  of  Firle, 
a  village  about  rive  miles  from 
Lewes.  The  Gages  long  kept  the 
lamp  of  Catholicity  burning  in  the 
district,  but  after  the  defection  of 
Sir  William  Gage,  about  1720,  the 
chapel  at  Firle,  which  had  for 
generations  been  served  by  the 
Jesuits,  was  closed.  Sir  Henry 
Gage,  governor  of  Oxford  for 

j    Charles  I.   in  1644,  and  Fr.  John 

I  Gage,  S.J.  (1720-90),  who  intro 
duced  the  greengage  into  England, 
were  members  of  this  family. 
The  Jesuit  Fathers  served  the 
mission  of  Firle  till  as  late  as 
1766. 

Priests  at  Lewes. 

i    Rev.  Canon  Drinkwater,  1865-68. 
„     Hubert    James   Wood,    1868 

(died  December  14,  1882). 
,,     William     Canon     McAulitfe, 
1882  to  date. 


LEWISHAM,     LONDON,    S.E. 

(Southward).     St.  Saviour  and  SS. 
John  the  Baptist  and  Evangelist. 

A  committee,  presided  over  by 
Captain  Everard,  was  held  on 
Sunday,  October  27,  1893,  to  con 
sider  the  possibility  of  establishing 
a  chapel  in  the  district.  Up  to 
this  time  the  nearest  mission  was 
at  Sydenham.  Shortly  afterwards 
a  chapel  was  fitted  up  at  No.  157 
Lewisham  High  Street,  and  Mass 
said  here  on  Sundays  by  Fr. 
McCalmont.  In  1895,  Fr.  G.  B. 


248 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


Tatnm,  M.A.,  formerly  an  Anglican 
clergyman,  was  appointed  priest  of 
the  mission.  In  1897,  the  present 
school  chapel  for  '200  persons  was 
built  on  part  of  the  site  secured 
for  a  church,  and  it  may  be  of 
interest  to  remark  that  the  ground 
was  once  occupied  by  the  country 
house  of  John  Wesley,  the  founder 
of  Methodism.  A  convent  con 
ducted  by  Ursuline  nuns  was 
opened  near  the  church  in  1901. 
Fr.  Connell  is  the  present  rector  of 
the  mission. 


LEYBURN,  YORKS  (Middles 
brough). 

Danby  Hall,  in  the  North  Riding, 
has  been  the  residence  of  the 
Scrope  family  since  the  commence 
ment  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
The  domestic  chapel  was  served 
by  the  Jesuit  Fathers  from  about 
1730  to  1785.  The  register  dates 
from  1742.  Fr.  Edward  Boone, 
S.J.,  the  last  priest  of  the  Society 
at  Danby,  was  particularly  zealous 
in  his  missionary  labours,  and  in 
1771  he  established  a  centre  of 
Catholicity  at  Lcyburn.  Before 
this  time,  the  few  faithful  depended 
for  spiritual  assistance  on  the 
chaplain,  at  Danby  Hall.1  The 
chapel,  which  was  long  a  mere 
room,  was  superseded  in  183G  by 
the  present  building  erected  mainly 
at  the  expense  of  Simon  Scrope, 
Esq.  (1790-1872),  who  claimed  for 
his  family  the  earldom  of  Wilts. 

1  '  Died  at  Leyburn,  Christopher 
Barker.  I  administered  to  him  the 
extreme  unction.  He  died  of  an  apo 
plexy  '  (May  29,  1759).  Note  by  Fr. 
Wappeler,  S.J.,  chaplain  at  Danby, 
1758-04. 


Priests. 
Rev.  —  Oakley,  S.J.,  1742. 

Wm.  Wappeler,  S.J.,  1758. 
Edward  Boone,  S.J.,  1764-85. 
Abbe  C.  Devienne,  1793. 
Richard  Billington. 
T.  Middlehurst,  1831. 
Rd.  Bolton,  1845. 
Lawrence  McGonnell,  1867. 
Thos.  Loughran,  1870. 
Edward  Canon  Pearson,  1877. 
Wm.  Maher,  1894. 
Joseph    Canon    Dodds,    1896 
to  date. 


LEYLAND,  LANCS  (Liverpool}. 
St.  Mary. 

In  1845  a  school  house  belonging 
to  Mrs.  Buchanan  was  purchased 
by  Catholics  for  a  chapel.  The 
first  priest  of  the  mission  was  Fr. 
Shepherd.  Fr.  J.  Kirshaw,  who  was 
missionary  rector  in  1855,  built  a 
chapel  in  the  Gothic  style.  Fr. 
E.  G.  Lynass,  O.S.B.,  added  the 
sanctuary,  which  in  February  1857 
was  adorned  by  a  handsome 
reredos.  Schools  for  256  children 
were  opened  November  6,  1897. 
The  Catholic  population  of  Ley- 
land  in  1903  was  570.  In  the 
sacristy  of  the  church  is  preserved 
a  curious  pre-Reformatioii  silver 
chalice  inscribed  with  the  words, 
'  Restore  me  to  Leyland  in  Lan 
cashire.' 


LEYTON,  ESSEX  (Westminster). 
St.  Joseph. 

The  mission  was  established  in 
1897,  the  chapel  being  that  of  St. 
Agnes  Oiphanage,  Church  Road, 
Leyton.  In  1900  St.  Joseph's 
school  chapel,  Vicarage  Road,  was 
erected  and  continued  to  serve  as 
a  place  of  worship  till  the  opening 
of  the  present  church,  Sunday 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


249 


November  27,  1904.  The  structure 
is  a  simple  one  of  wood  and  iron. 
The  opening  ceremony  "was 
attended  by  Archbishop  Bourne,  of 
Westminster,  the  sermon  being 
preached  by  Mgr.  Croke  Robinson, 
M.A.  (Matt,  xxviii.  19).  St. 
Joseph's  mission  was  founded  by 
Fr.  Francis  C.  Brown,  late  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  Tottenham,  who 
is  still  the  rector. 


LICHFIELD,    STAFFS    (Birming 
ham}.     Holy  Cross. 

Pipe  Hall,  near  Lichfield,  was  the 
ancient  seat  of  the  Heveningham 
family,  and  on  the  death  of  Sir  Walter 
Heveningham,   Knt.,  it  passed   to 
the  Simeons.     At  the  death  of  Sir 
Edw.  Simeon  in  1768  the  property 
went   to   the  Welds   of  Lulworth. 
Mass,  which   had   only  been    said 
occasionally  at  Pipe  Hall,  now  be 
came  regular.      Fr.  Eobt.   Tindall 
was    the    priest    about   1786.     In 
1788   he    went    to    Kilvington,  in 
Yorkshire.      Fr.   John    Kirk    suc 
ceeded.    He  added  a  new  sanctuary 
to   the    old    chapel.      During    the 
regime    of    the    next    priests,   Fr. 
Charles   Clements   and    Fr.    Isaac 
Milward,   O.S.F.,  the    estate    was 
sold  to  protestants  and  the  chapel 
closed.    The  altar  plate,  vestments, 
&c.,    were     made    over    to    Thos. 
Clifford,  Esq.,  afterwards  Sir  Thos. 
Clifford-Constable,  Bart.,  who  pur 
chased  an  old  house  in  Lichfield 
and  reopened  a  chapel  there.     At 
the    request    of   Bishop  Stapleton, 
Fr.  Kirk  took  charge  of  the  mis 
sion,  his    Lordship    allowing   him 
£60  a  year  from  the  bequest  of  a 
Mr.  Munford,  formerly  of  St.  Omer's 
College.     Fr.  Kirk  built  a  chapel 
on   the    London    Koad,   Lichfield, 
and  opened  it  November  11,  1803. 


The  Catholics  of  the  town  num 
bered  about  fifty  at  this  tim?.  Mr. 
Thos.  Weld,  of  Lulworth,  father  of 
Cardinal  Weld,  presented  the  chapel 
with  a  handsome  altar-piece  re 
presenting  the  Crucifixion  by  De 
Bruyn.  By  1810  the  Catholics  of 
Lichfield  and  Hopewas,  a  neigh 
bouring  village,  had  increased  to 
seventy-five  and  in  1833  to  145. 
The  next  year  (1834)  Fr.  Kirk, 
then  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of 
his  age,  erected  a  simple  Gothic 
church  at  Lichfield,  which  was 
opened  by  Bishop  Walsh,  V.A. ;  Dr. 
Weedal,  of  Oscott,  sang  the  Mass 
(September  23). l  Fr.  J.  Parke 
succeeded  Dr.  Kirke  at  Lichfield  in 
1851.  The  mission  was  greatly 
hampered  for  resources  in  1865  by 
the  death  of  a  generous  benefac 
tress  who  had  hitherto  subsidised 
the  schools,  and  the  priest  of  the 
time,  Fr.  F.  Magrath,  was  com 
pelled  to  solicit  support.  The  pre 
sent  church  was  opened  1895,  during 
the  rectorate  of  Fr.  McCarten. 


LIMEHOUSE,  LONDON,  E.  (West 
minster).  Our  Lady  Immaculate. 

The  mission  was  started  here  in 
February  1881  for  the  benefit  of 
the  large  Irish  population.  Mass 
was  first  said  in  a  room  over  a 
chandler's  shop  and  then  in  a  large 
room  in  the  priest's  house,  No.  9 
Turner's  Eoad.  Fr.  F.  G.  Maples 
was  the  first  priest.  The  extem 
porised  chapel  was  so  crowded  on 
Sundays  that  numbers  had  to  kneel 
on  the  stairs.  The  number  of  chil 
dren  attending  the  school  in  August 


1  The  Rev.  John  Kirk,  1760-1851,  was 

a    distinguished     scholar.       His    notes 

|    formed    the   basis    of    Canon   Tierney's 

I    continuation  of  Dod's  '  Church  History.' 


250 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


1881  was  sixty.  Fr.  F.  H.  Higley, 
the  present  rector,  succeeded  to  the 
mission  about  1890. 


LINCOLN    (Nottingham).      St. 

Hugh. 

The  Jesuit  Fathers  opened  a 
school  at  Lincoln  for  a  short  time 
in  the  reign  of  James  II.  In  1781 
Fr.  Kichard  Knight,  S.J.,  served 
the  mission.  The  Catholic  chapel, 
'  a  plain  Eomanesque  building  ter 
minating  in  an  apse,'  was  opened 
in  -  -  and  redecorated  in  August 
1863.  The  present  fine  Gothic 
church  was  opened  by  his  Eminence 
Cardinal  Vaughan  on  Tuesday, 
December  18,  1898.  Most  of  the 
money  necessary  for  the  purpose 
was  collected  by  the  incumbent, 
Canon  Croft  The  Carthusian 
monks  of  Parkminster,  Sussex, 
contributed  verj'  largely  to  the 
fund.  The  o  d  title  of  the  church, 
SS.  John  the  Baptist  and  John  the 
Evangelist,  was  retained  till  after 
1898,  when  that  of  the  present 
patron  was  adopted. 


LINCOLN'S  INN  FIELDS,  LON 
DON,  W.C.  (Westminster}.  SS. 
Anselm  and  Cecilia. 

This   mission   has   been    rightly 
termed  '  the  Mother  Church  of  the 
Catholic  Faith  in  the  Archdiocese 
of  Westminster.'    There  is  evidence 
that  Mass  was  said  'in  the  house 
of  a  widow  on  the  left-hand  side  of 
Duke   Street,'   1648.      In  1687  Fr.    ! 
Jn.  Cross,  Provincial  O.S.F.,  leased    j 
the    house     near     the    arches    in    ! 
Lincoln's   Tnn   Fields  and  opened 
a    chapel    there.       Bishop    Ellis,   j 


V.A.W.D.,  and  afterwards  of  Segni, 
Italy,  often  preached  here.     At  the 
Revolution   the    Franciscans  were 
compelled   to   retire    at    a   loss   of 
£3,000.      After  this  the  Sardinian 
Ambassador  acquired    the   chapel, 
and  it   remained   attached   to    the 
Embassy    for     nearly    a    century. 
Nollekens,  the    sculptor,  was  bap- 
;   tised  here  in  1737.    On  October  30, 
:    1759,  serious  damage  was  caused 
by  a  fire,  but  the  loss  was  repaired 
by  the  Count  de  Virey,  the  then 
Ambassador.      The   whole    chapel, 
with  the  exception  of  the  sanctuary 
end,  was  destroyed  by  the  Gordon 
rioters  in  June  1780,  but  the  loss 
was   made   good   by   Government, 
who  also  presented  the  new  chapel 
with  a  fine  altar-piece.      The  old 
sanctuary  end   is    said   to    be   the 
work  of  Inigo  Jones,  and  is  shown 
in   the   familiar   prints   of   Bishop 
Challoner  preaching.    The  building 
was  enlarged  1811.      The   schools 
were    established    by    a     Catholic 
Society  about  1764.     In  1838  about 
one   thousand   children    were    en 
rolled   on   the   books.      Mr.   Chas. 
Butler,      the      eminent      barrister 
(1750-1832),    was    long     a     noted 
member  of  the  congregation.      In 
1857  the  roof  of   the  church  was 
raised  and  the  interior  painted.     A 
new  gallery  was  added  1851.    King 
Victor    Emmanuel,    of     Sardinia, 
attended  Mass  in  state  here   Sun 
day,  December  3,  1855.      Prayers 
for  the  House  of    Sardinia  ceased 
about  1861,  when  His  Majesty  in 
vaded  the    States  of  the  [  Church. 
Owing  to  the   Strand   to   Holborn 
'  improvements '     recently    under 
taken     by    the     London     County 
Council,  the  old  Church  of  SS.  An 
selm  and  Cecilia  will  soon  be  num 
bered  with   the  past,  but    another 
church  not  far  from  its  site  will,  it 
is  reported,  arise  to  perpetuate  its 
history  and  work. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


251 


Priests. 

Rev.  Wni.  Barrow,  S  J.,  1677. 
„    Jn.  Cross,  1687. 
„    Wm.  Pouce,  1729. 
„    Patrick  Bradley,  O.P.,  1741- 
1760,   subsequently  Bishop 
of  Londonderry. 
„    Hy.  Peach,  1761. 
„    Eobt.  Smelt,  1771. 
„    Jas.  Archer,  D.D.,  1781-89. 
„    Thos.  Rigby,  D.D.,  1783. 
„    Francis  Tuite,  1810. 
„    Thos.  Percy,  1816. 
„    Angelo      Baldacconi,      D.D., 

M.R.,  1824. 
„    Jn.  Hearne,  1843. 
„    W.  O'Connor,  1845. 
„    Patrick   O'Connor,    rector    in 

1875. 

„    P.  Cavanagh,  rector  in  1883. 
„    Michael     FitzGerald,    rector 

1891. 

,,  Jn.  Dunford,  1901  to  date. 
A  large  number  of  priests  have 
been  attached  to  the  mission  as 
'  chaplains '  at  various  times,  but 
we  have  only  named  those  first  in 
seniority  or  superiority. 


LISCARD,  CHESHIRE  (Shrews 
bury).  St.  Alban. 

In  1842  the  Catholics  of  Liscard 
and  vicinity  numbered  300.  The 
same  year  a  room  at  Egremont 
was  secured  by  Fr.  Dawber,  '  where 
he  celebrated  the  Divine  mysteries 
and  ministered  to  the  spiritual 
wants  of  the  Catholics  of  the  neigh 
bourhood.'  The  school,  chapel, 
and  house  were  erected  in  1842, 
and  the  church  opened  in  the  pre 
sence  of  Cardinal  Wiseman,  Sep 
tember  8,  1853.  A  large  bell,  cost 
ing  £220,  was  consecrated  Octo 
ber  10,  1858.  Bishop  Knight 
opened  the  Catholic  club-room 
February  13,  1888. 


Priests. 
Rev.  Jn.  Dawber,  1841. 

„    Ambrose  Canon  Lennon,  V.G., 

1843. 

Wm.  Walton,  1868. 
Joseph  Canon  Daly,  1872. 
T.  Geraghty,  1876. 
Wm.  Stanton,  1878. 
Thomas  Canon  Marsden,V.G 

1887.  ' 

C.  Ryder,  1898. 
J.  G.  Walsh,  1898. 


IISKEARD,      CORNWALL     (Ply- 

mouth}.     St.  Neot. 

The  chapel  was  erected  1862  63 
by  Fr.  T.  Francis.  Sir  Paul  Moles- 
worth  was  one  of  the  most  notable 
contributors  to  the  building  fund. 
The  cost  of  the  building,  which  in 
style  is  'plain  underrated  Gothic,' 
was  about  £400 ;  the  seating  capa 
city  is  for  400  persons.  Bishop 
Vaughan,  of  Plymouth,  pontificated 
at  the  opening  ceremony  in  May 
1863.  A  fine  granite  octagonal 
font  was  erected  in  the  church  in 
June  1882  from  the  legacy  of  Mr. 
James  Carroll,  many  years  resident 
at  Bodmin.  The  new  organ  was 
inaugurated  the  following  Christ 
inas.  For  several  years  after  the 
opening  the  mission  was  served 
from  Sclerder. 

Priest*. 
Rev.  T.  Francis,  1862. 

H.  Dobbelaire,  1866. 

F.  Gallini,  here  in  1871. 

W.  Keily,  1877. 

Geo.  Graham,  1879. 

R.  W.  Meager,  1898. 

Norbert    Woolfrey,     here    in 
1897. 

Joseph  Hurley,  to  date. 


252 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


LITHERLAND,     LANCS      (Liver- 

2JOol).     St.  Elizabeth. 

A  church  was  opened  here  by 
the  Bishop  of  Liverpool  on  Sun 
day,  October  9,  1904.  The  sermon 
both  at  the  morning  and  evening 
service  was  preached  by  Canon 
Gordon. 


LITTLEBOROUGH,  LANCS  (Sal- 
ford).  The  Annunciation. 

A  temporary  chapel  was  opened 
in  1879,  and  on  Saturday,  June  4, 
1881,  the  foundation  stone  of  the 
present  church  was  laid  by  Canon 
Sheehan,  V.G.,  assisted  by  Fr.  L. 
Schreiber,  priest  of  the  mission. 
The  school  and  presbytery  were 
built  at  the  same  time.  The  church 
was  opened  January  1,  1882,  by 
Bishop  Vaughan,  of  Salford.  The 
style  is  Byzantine. 

Priests. 
Revs.  Conrad  Kaelin,  1879. 

,,     Laurence  Schreiber,  1882. 

„  W.  Fowler,  1885  ;  served  from 
Buckley  Hall,  Todmorden, 
&c.,  1890-93. 

,,     James  Manning,  1893. 

„     Michael  Cahill,  1897. 

„     Pius  de  Witte,  1899. 

„     Henry  Egbers,  1902. 

„  Octave  Raymond,  1904  to 
date. 


LITTLE  CROSBY,  LANCS  (Liver 
pool).  St.  Mary's. 

The  stone  of  the  church  was  laid 
March  25,  1845,  by  Nicholas 
Blundell,  Esq.,  who  defrayed  the 
cost  of  erection.  The  style  is 
Decorated  Gothic.  Messrs.  Weight- 
man  and  Hadfield  were  the  archi 
tects.  The  building  was  conse 
crated  by  Bishop  Brown,  V.A., 
September  7,  1847.  The  domestic 


chaplains  of  the  Blundells  of  Crosby 
served  the  mission  during  the  times 
of  persecution.  Jn  1896  the  Catho 
lic  cemetery  was  enlarged,  and  a 
new  window  and  south  side  of 
chancel  added  to  the  church. 


LITTLEHAMPTON,       SUSSEX 

(SouthivarJf).     St.  Catherine. 

In  the  summer  of  1859,  Mass 
was  said  here  on  Sundays  at  eleven 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Catholic 
visitors.  The  temporary  chapel 
was  a  room  in  the  Beach  Hotel 
and  was  served  by  Fr.  John  Butt  of 
Arundel.  The  handsome  Gothic 
church,  situated  on  the  common,  is 
one  of  the  five  churches  built  in 
honour  of  the  Five  Precious  Wounds 
of  Our  Lord,  by  Mina  Duchess  of 
Norfolk,  mother  of  the  present 
duke.  It  was  opened  May  26, 
1863.  The  handsome  Lady  Altar 
of  variegated  marbles  was  erected 
in  1883.  The  church  was  again 
considerably  enlarged  in  the  sum 
mer  of  1904  by  the  lengthening  of 
the  nave  and  aisles.  Fr.  R.  L. 
Irvine  Neave  has  been  priest  of  the 
mission  since  1875.  His  predecessor 
was  Fr.  Thos.  Dixon,  O.P. 


LITTLE  HULTON,  LANCS  (Sal- 
ford).  St.  Edmund. 

The  church  was  opened  1876, 
and  was  served  from  Farnworth 
till  1890,  when  Fr.  Wilfrid  Hampson 
was  appointed. 

Subsequent  Priests. 
Rev.  Peter  Grobel,  1895. 

„     Godric  Kean,  1901. 

„     Henry  Joseph  Hunt,  1905. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


253 


LITTLE  MALVERN,  WORCESTER 
SHIRE  (Birmingham}. 

This  beautiful  estate  came  to  the 
Beringtons  from  the  Eussells. 
The  Beringtons  have  always  been 
staunch  to  the  Faith,  and  in  the 
days  of  persecution  their  mansion 
was  '  a  city  of  refuge  '  for  priests. 
One  or  two  hiding-places  in 
the  roof  were  probably  the  work 
of  the  martyr,  Brother  Nicholas 
Owen,  S.J.  In  1641  the  house 
was  searched  by  order  of  the  House 
of  Commons  '  for  Jesuites  and 
Eomish  priestes ;  also  Massing 
stuffe,  Popish  relics,  Popish  books 
and  warlike  ammunition,  but  did 
jnot  find  any  such.'  The  Eev. 
'Joseph  Berington  (1743-1827), 
author  of  '  The  Literary  History  of 
the  Middle  Ages,'  and  a  supporter 
of  the  Catholic  Committee  on  the 
subject  of  the  famous  oath,  was  a 
member  of  this  family,  as  was  also 
his  brother,  Bishop  Berington,  V.A. 
The  ancient  domestic  chapel  of  the 
house  is  still  kept  open  for  the 
purpose  of  serving  the  mission. 


LIVERPOOL.  All  Saints,  Oak- 
field. 

Till  1885  this  district  was  partly 
in  the  mission  of  St.  Michael's, 
and  partly  in  that  of  Our  Lady 
Immaculate.  In  October  1888,  a 
school  chapel,  capable  of  accommo 
dating  480  children  on  the  ground 
floor,  and  500  adults  on  the  chapel 
storey  above,  was  commenced,  and 
opened  September  2,  1889.  A 
stone  belfry  surmounts  the  west 
gable  of  the  nave.  The  cost  of 
erection  was  about  £4,000. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Wm.  Smith,  1889. 

„     E.  Etherington,  1891. 

„     E.  Baynes,  1894. 

,,     James  Cross,  1899. 

„     W.  Gregson,  1900. 


LIVERPOOL.     St.  Alphonsus, 
In  1877   a  disused  Masonic  Hall 
was  acquired  for  use  as  a  chapel. 
New  schools  were  erected  1888  at 
a  cost  of  £3,000. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Edward  Birchall,  1878. 

„    Wm.     Pennington,     1888    to 
date. 


LIVERPOOL.  St.  Augustine's, 
Great  Howard  Street. 

The  mission  of  St.  Augustine 
was  founded  '  in  poverty  and  want ' 
in  September  1849,  when  it  was 
served  from  St.  Mary's.  The 
church  was  erected  a  little  later. 
It  had  little  architectural  merit  till 
decorated  in  1885  by  Mr.  Hopkins, 
of  Abergavenny.  The  church  was 
enriched  with  two  new  altars,  a 
screen  of  carved  stone,  and  marble 
altar  rails.  The  high  altar  was 
further  adorned  by  a  Calvary  group 
with  angels.  On  the  day  of 
opening,  Sunday,  August  9,  1885, 
Fr.  W,  O'Brien,  a  former  priest  of 
the  mission,  preached  an  eloquent 
sermon  describing  the  work  of  the 
Catholic  Church  throughout  the 
world,  and  incidently  sketching  the 
history  of  St.  Augustine's  from  its 
foundation.  New  schools  were 
opened  February  21,  1897. 

Priests. 
Eev.  F.  Cook,  1849. 

.„     W.  Bulbeck,  1858. 

„     Ealph  Cooper,  1864. 

„     E.  Eoss,  1875. 

„     J.  Potter,  1881. 

„     C.  O'Neill,  1882. 

„     W.  Eigby,  1882. 

„     T.  V.  Murphy,  1889. 

„     A.  D.  Firth,  1890. 

„     T.  Murphy,  1889. 

,,     —  Sanders,  1892. 

„     Hugh  Larkin,  1892. 

„     T.  Eathe,  1895. 


254 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


LIVERPOOL.  St.  Alban,  Athol 
Street. 

In  1848,  Fr.  Thos.  Newsham 
purchased  a  site  for  a  church  for 
the  spiritual  benefit  of  the  large 
number  of  Irish  labourers  employed 
on  the  Liverpool  docks  extension. 
The  building  was  designed  by 
C.  Hadfield,and  opened  for  worship, 
Sunday,  August  19,  1849,  by  Bishop 
Brown,  V.A.  Fr.  Thos.  Kelly 
(1849-62)  completed  the  church, 
gave  a  fine  bell  to  the  belfry  and 
erected  the  organ.  He  likewise 
built  the  sacristy  and  presbytery. 
His  successor,  Fr.  R  Seed  (1862- 
71),  built  magnificent  schools  to 
accommodate  1,000  children.  These 
were  enlarged  by  Fr.  Patrick  Kelly, 
rector  from  1871  to  1887.  Fr. 
Kelly  enriched  the  church  with  a 
handsome  altar  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
and  fine  pulpit.  In  1890  the 
Albany  Club  for  young  men  was 
opened,  and  the  year  following  the 
sacristies  were  improved  and  fitted 
with  new  presses,  &c.  The  church 
was  redecorated  1893.  To  com 
memorate  the  jubilee  of  the  mission, 
new  marble  and  alabaster  altar 
rails,  by  Hardman,  were  added  to 
the  sanctuary  in  1899.  Fr.  J. 
Buckley,  appointed  in  1898,  is  the 
present  rector. 


LIVERPOOL  (Liverpool).  St. 
Clare,  Sefton  Park. 

This  church  was  started  in  April 
1889,  and  consecrated  June  3,  1890. 
The  design  is  Decorated  Gothic. 
The  accommodation  is  for  600. 
The  cost,  including  the  schools  for 
400  children,  was  £10,779.  The 
church  was  erected  at  the  sole  cost 
of  two  benefactors,  Messrs.  Francis 
William  and  James  F.  Keynolds. 
The  Catholic  population  of  the 
parish  is  about  1,500. 


LIVERPOOL  (Liverpool).  Edge 
Hill,  St.  Ann's. 

Mass  was  said  in  the  presbytery 
in  1843  byFr.  Maurus  Margison,the 
founder  of  the  mission.  The  church 
(Late  Gothic)  was  opened  August  5, 
1846,  by  Bishop  Brown,  V.A.N.D., 
assisted  by  Archbishop  Polding  and 
Bishops  Sharpies  and  Morris.  The 
chancel  was  added  in  1887.  A  new 
priory  was  erected  1893.  Two  fine 
windows  in  the  church  com 
memorate  Fr.  Basil  Feeny  (1893-97), 
and  the  oak  choir  stalls  serve  as  a 
memorial  to  Fr.  Egbert  Turner 
(September  1897).  The  Catholic 
population  of  the  district  is  esti 
mated  at  about  5,500.  The  church 
is  largely  due  to  the  zeal  and  exer 
tions  of  Fr.  H.  Brewer,  Pro 
vincial  of  the  English  Benedictines, 
Northern  Province,  from  1837  to 
1846.  Fr.  Jn.  Darby  is  the  present 
superior  (1904). 


LIVERPOOL  (Liverpool).  St. 
Joseph,  Grosvenor  Street,  N. 

In  1846  a  former  protestant  place 
of  worship  was  purchased  for  use 
as  a  Catholic  church.  Schools  in 
connection  with  the  mission  were 
founded  in  Edgar  Street  in  1852  by 
Thomas  Gillow,  Esq.,  of  Mexico. 
On  January  23,  1870,  a  false  alarm 
of  fire  led  to  a  fatal  panic  in  the 
church.  Six  years  later  the  building 
became  unsafe,  and  was  replaced 
by  the  present  church,  opened 
March  19,  1878.  The  Bishop  Goss 
Memorial  Schools  were  opened 
about  the  same  time.  A  handsome 
marble  altar  was  erected  in  the 
church  and  consecrated  December 
1881.  The  Lady  Altar,  by  Messrs. 
Pugin,  was  put  up  in  1890  in 
memory  of-  Fr.  Robert  Bridges, 
who  died  in  1888.  New  altar-rails 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC    MISSIONS 


255 


were  added  to  the  sanctuary  to 
commemorate  the  jubilee  of  the 
mission,  April  1896. 

Priests. 

Eev.  John    Murphy,    1846  ;     died 
Archdeacon  of  Cork,  1885. 
„    W.  Carter,  1847-53. 
„    Maurice  Duggan,  1853 -Octo 
ber  1879. 

„  Iiobt.  Bridges,  1878  ;  Professor 
of  Moral  Philosophy  at  St. 
Joseph's  College,  1885;  died 
1888. 

„    T.  B.  Allen,  1885. 
„    H.  Roberts,   1885;  appointed 

M.E.  1891. 
„    Joseph  Rigby,  1896. 


LIVEKPOOL  (Liverpool).  Holy 
Cross,  Great  Crosshall  Street. 

This  mission  was  founded  in  1842 
by  Fr.  F.  McDonnell,  whose  first 
chapel  was  a  room  over  a  cow 
house  in  Standish  Street,  The 
Oblate  Fathers  took  over  the  mis 
sion  in  1850,  and  shortly  after  this 
the  schools  were  erected  by  Fr. 
Noble.  Bishop  Jolivet,  of  Natal, 
was  one  of  the  priests  here  till 
about  1867.  Dr.  Jolivet  built  the 
church,  which  was  opened  Octo 
ber  30,  1860,  by  Bishop  Goss,  the 
sermon  being  preached  by  Cardinal 
Wiseman.  The  new  chancel  was 
opened  August  31,  1875.  A  new 
altar  was  erected  in  1882.  The 
schools  underwent  extensive  altera 
tions  in  1895. 

Priests  since  1875. 
Rev.  F.  M.  Gaughren,  now  bishop. 
T.  G.  Roche,  1876. 
D.  Madden,  1883. 

B.  O'Dwyer,  1883. 
L.  G.  Roche,  1887. 
A.  Coyle,  1890. 

J.  McSherry,  1895. 

C.  Byrne,  1904. 


LIVEEPOOL  (Liverpool).    St.  An 
thony,  Scotland  Road,  N. 

Fr.    Jean    Baptist    Girardot,    an 
emigre,   erected   a   chapel    in    the 
Scotland    Road   about    1804.     The 
chapel  was  afterwards  sold,  and  a 
new  church  erected  by  Fr.  P.  Wil- 
cock,    and   opened    September    29, 
1833.      The    Abbe    Girardot    was 
greatly  esteemed  in  Liverpool  for 
his   amiable  qualities   and  for  his 
skill  in  curing  the  dropsy.    He  died 
at  Liverpool  in  October  1825,  aged 
seventy- five  years.     Since  then  the 
rectors  of  the  mission  have  been  : — 
Fr.  P.  Wilcock,   1825.     His  assist 
ants   in    1837    were    Frs.    A. 
Lennon  and  J.  Peduzzi. 
„  J.  Dawber,  for   public   institu 
tions,  1840. 

T.  Newsham  (rector),  1844. 
P.  Power,  1860  (?). 
P.  Murphy,  1875. 
J.  Dowling,  1884. 
Wm.  Newsham,  1894  to  date. 


LIVERPOOL  (Liverpool).  St. 
Peter's,  Seel  Street. 

This  church  was  founded  from 
St.  Mary's,  then  the  only  Catholic 
place  of  worship  in  Liverpool,  in 
1788  by  Fr.  Archibald  Macdonald, 
O.S.B.  The  building  was  opened 
on  September  7  of  the  above- 
named  year.  The  baptismal  regis 
ter  dates  from  1789,  during  which 
year  fifty  children  were  baptised. 
A  school  in  connection  with  the 
church  was  not  started  till  1817. 
In  1843  the  old  presbytery  was 
added  to  the  church  to  form  the 
sanctuary  and  sacristy.  New 
schools  for  girls  and  infants  were 
erected  about  1870  ;  they  were  en 
larged  in  1889.  The  interior  of 
the  church  was  renovated  and  re 
decorated  in  1902  at  a  cost  of  £'300. 


256 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Priests  of  the  Mission. 
Rev.  A.  Macdonald,  1788-1814. 

„    Dunstan  Tarlfcon,  1814-16. 

,,    Gregory  Kobinson,  1816-35. 

„    Vincent  Glover,  1835-38. 

„    Ephraim  Platt,  1838-41. 

„  J.  F.  Appleton,  D.D.,  1842; 
died  of  typhus  caught  during 
his  sacred  ministrations, 
1847. 

„    Thomas  Bonney,  1847-64. 

„    —  Davey,  1864-67. 

„  W.  B.  Scarisbrick,  1867,  con 
secrated  Archbishop  of 
Mauritius,  1871. 

„    J.  Brown,  1872-74. 

„    P.  M.  Anderson,  1874-1903. 

„    Robert  Corlett,  1901. 

The    church    has    always    been 
under  the  care  of  Benedictines. 


LIVERPOOL  (Liverpool).  St. 
Sylvester,  Scotland  Eoad. 

On  March  11,  1888,  the  founda 
tion  of  the  present  Gothic  church 
was  laid  by  the  Bishop  of  Liverpool, 
and  the  building  was  opened  Sep 
tember  2,  1889.  The  seating  capa 
city  is  for  about  seven  hundred. 
The  old  chapel  was  opened  in  a 
*  converted  wooden  shed  '  in  1875. 
The  schools  were  built,  1872-73. 
In  May  1896  a  new  Lady  Altar,  by 
Pugin,  was  erected,  and  two  years 
later  the  church  was  cleaned  and 
decorated.  The  congregation  is 
estimated  at  about  7,200. 


LIVEEPOOL.  Our  Lady  of 
Lourdes  and  St.  Bernard,  Kingsley 
Road. 

Cardinal  Manning  preached   on 
behalf  of  this,  then  recently  founded, 
mission,     Sunday,     September     9, 
1882.     A  chapel  was  erected  1884.    [ 
The   new   church   was  opened   by    J 


the  Bishop  of  Liverpool  on  Whit 
Sunday,  1901.  The  building  cost 
about  '£8,000.  Messrs.  Pugin,  of 
London,  were  the  architects.  The 
first  rector  of  the  church  was  Fr. 
Billington,  afterwards  Dean  of  Lan 
caster.  His  curate,  Fr.  James 
Hayes,  succeeded  in  1885.  The 
rector  in  1901  was  Fr.  Harris. 
Catholic  population  about  1,800. 


LIVERPOOL.  St.  Vincent  of  Paul. 

On  February  5,  1843,  Mass  was 
celebrated  in  an  upper  room  in 
Blundell  Street ;  and  on  the  7th  of  the 
same  month  a  boys'  school,  taught 
by  a  Christian  Brother,  was  opened 
in  the  same  room.  This  arrange 
ment  continued  till  January  1848. 
Fr.  Edward  Walmesley  was  the  first 
priest.  St.  Vincent's  was  served 
from  St.  Patrick's  till  it  became  an 
independent  mission,  August  1852. 
On  January  23, 1849,  a  large  wooden 
shed  was  hired  for  a  chapel,  and  in 
April  1856  the  first  stone  of  the 
new  church  was  laid  by  the  Bishop 
of  Liverpool.  E.  AVelby-Pugin  de 
signed  the  building,  which  is  in 
'  the  purest  style  of  Geometrical 
Gothic.'  The  opening  by  Bishop 
Goss  took  place  in  August  1857. 
The  sciools,  presented  by  E.  Chal- 
loner,  Esq.,  were  opened  1862, 
and  greatly  enlarged  1893.  Bishop 
O'Reilly,  of  Liverpool,  was  rector 
of  the  mission  1852-73.  He  was 
consecrated  in  St.  Vincent's  Church 
March  19  of  the  last-named  year. 


LIVERPOOL.  The  Sacred  Heart, 
Mount  Vernon. 

Till  1885,  a  small  convent  chapel 
did  duty  for  missionary  purposes, 
but  by  that  year  the  vast  increase 
of  the  congregation  made  a  new 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


257 


church  absolutely  necessary.  A 
church  in  the  Early  Decorated 
style  was  commenced  that  year, 
and  opened  in  December  1886. 
The  accommodation  is  for  800. 
The  imposing  character  of  the  front 
is  enhanced  by  an  octagonal  turret. 
The  handsome  stone  pulpit  of  the 
church  was  presented  by  Mr.  T. 
Poulton,  the  large  bell  by  Mr. 
Michael  Byrne,  and  the  carved  oak 
tabernacle  with  silver  embossed 
door  by  Mr.  J.  Collier.  The  silver- 
plated  lamps  in  the  sanctuary  were 
the  gift  of  W.  Yates,  Esq.  The 
marble  high  altar,  by  Messrs.  Pugin, 
was  unveiled  by  the  Bishop  of 
Liverpool,  Sunday,  October  11, 1891. 
New  schools  for  400  children  were 
erected  1898. 


LIVERPOOL.  Our  Lady  of  Recon 
ciliation,  Eldon  Street. 

Foundation  stone  laid  by  Bishop 
Goss,  Wednesday,  February  2, 1859. 
The  old  chapel  in  Blackstock  Street 
was  opened  in  1854  by  Fr.  R.  Vande- 
pitte,  a  missionary  from  Flanders. 
The  building  was  merely  a  wooden 
shed.  The  Catholics  of  the  district 
then  numbered  about  eleven  thou 
sand.  The  new  church,  opened  in 
1860,  is  in  the  French  style  of 
Gothic.  The  presbytery  and  schools, 
erected  about  1886,  cost  upwards  of 
£10,000.  There  are  many  Poles  in 
the  neighbourhood,  and  a  '  Polish 
service  '  is  given  on  the  first  and 
third  Sunday  of  each  month.  A 
new  altar  to  Our  Lady  of  Wilna 
was  opened  September  17,  1893, 
and  the  organ  February  4,  1894. 


LIVERPOOL.  St.  Mary's,  Hadficld 
Street. 

The  old  chapel  was  founded  in 


1736.  In  1701,  Fr.  W.  Gillibrand, 
S.J.,  served  the  Liverpool  mis 
sion,  which  had  then  no  regular 
chapel.  In  1736,  Fr.  John  Har- 
vesty,  S.J.,  built  St.  Mary's. 
In  December  1745,  when  Prince 
Charles  Edward  Stuart  and  the 
Highlanders  retreated  from  Derby, 
the  mob  burnt  the  chapel  to  the 
ground.  They  behaved  '  with  the 
greatest  respect '  to  the  priests — 
Fr.  Hermengild  Carpenter,  S.J., 
and  Fr.  Thos.  Stanley,  allowing 
them  to  remove  the  ciborium  and 
other  consecrated  vessels.  Henry 
Pippard,  Esq.,  a  Catholic,  and  one 
of  the  chief  merchants  of  the  town, 
rebuilt  the  chapel  1758,  in  a  secluded 
part  of  the  city.  The  new  building 
looked  exactly  like  a  warehouse. 
In  spite  of  this  safeguard,  the  Catho 
lics  could  only  enter  the  chapel 
with  the  greatest  caution.  In  1783 
the  mission  was  transferred  to  the 
Benedictines.  In  1844  a  fine  new 
church,  designed  by  A.  W.  Pugin, 
was  commenced  to  take  the  place 
of  the  old  ugly  chapel.  The  opening 
took  place  July  1,  1845.  The  ser 
mon  was  preached  by  Bishop  Morris. 
The  church,  '  a  new  and  spacious 
building,'  occupied  the  site  of  the 
old  chapel,  and  accommodated 
3,000.  In  1883-84  the  site  of 
the  building  was  bought  by  the 
Lancashire  and  Yorkshire  Railway 
Company,  and  a  new  church — 
a  reproduction  of  the  old  one  — 
was  built  in  Hadfield  Street.  P.  P. 
Pugin  was  the  architect.  The 
solemn  opening  took  place  July  7, 
1885.  In  1895  the  sanctuary  was 
beautifully  decorated  by  Mr.  Pippet. 
The  schools  were  enlarged  1898. 

Priests. 

Rev.  —  Williams    and  —  Harris, 
S.J.,  1773. 

„    A.  Macdonald,  1773. 

„    E.  Pennington,  1788. 

„    Jos.  Collins,  1794. 


258 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Rev.  Alexis  Pope.  1797. 

„  Wilfrid  Fisher,  1802. 

„  James  Wilkinson,  1847. 

„  S.  Giles,  1850. 

„  Jos.  Sheridan,  1850. 

„  Bede  Almond,  18GO. 

„  P.  O'Brien,  1873. 

„  Benedict  Snow,  1878. 

„  George  Bede  Cox,  1894. 


LOFTUS ,  SALTBURN  -  BY  -  THE  - 
SEA,  YOEKS  (Middlesbrough}.  SS. 
Joseph  and  Cuthbert. 

The  Catholics  of  Loftus,  after 
having  worshipped  for  some  years 
'  in  a  small  room  over  a  shop,' 
acquired  a  site  for  a  school- chapel 
near  the  market-place.  The  build 
ing,  to  hold  some  three  hundred 
persons,  was  erected  from  designs 
by  Mr.  Martin  Carr.  Fr.  W.  Sul 
livan  was  the  priest  at  the  time  the 
chapel  was  built.  The  opening  took 
place  on  March  8, 1883.  The  build 
ing  will  hold  over  three  hundred. 
The  altar,  of  Corinthian  design,  was 
decorated  by  Dominic  Mazzotti,  of 
Saltburn.  The  stone  baptismal  font 
was  carved  by  Mr.  Robt.  Moody, 
of  Loftus.  Before  the  opening  of 
this  mission  the  nearest  chapel 
was  at  Ugthorpe,  eight  miles  dis 
tant. 


LONG       EATON,      DERBYSHIRE 

(Nottingham).       St.      Francis     of 
Assisi. 

Mission  established  1884. 

Rev.  J.  McCarthy,  1884. 

(Mission  served  from  Cathe 
dral  &c.,  1889  et  seq.) 
„    Frederick  Begue,  1896. 
„    Emile  Van  Dale,  1897. 

(Served  from  West  Bridgford. 

1900.) 

„    T.   B.  Birmingham,    1901   to 
date. 


LONG  HORSELEY,  NORTHUMBER 
LAND  (Hexham  and  Newcastle}. 
St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury. 

This  mission  was  served  by  the 
Jesuit  Fathers  for  many  years. 
Gorton  in  his  '  Topographical  Dic 
tionary  '  says  :  '  Here  is  a  strong 
ancient  tower,  which  formerly 
belonged  to  the  Horseleys,  but  is 
now  (1833)  converted  into  a  Catholic 
chapel,  with  a  house  for  the  priest. 
It  is  a  plain  square  building  with  a 
deer  park  adjoining  it.'  In  1733 
the  Hon.  Mrs.  Widdrington  endowed 
the  mission  with  .£400,  which  sum 
was  many  years  ago  handed  over 
by  the  Jesuits  to  the  bishop  of  the 
district.  In  1750  the  following  note 
was  made  by  one  of  the  Fathers  of 
the  Society  which  well  expresses 
the  concealment  required  during  the 
existence  of  the  penal  laws  : 

'  Horseley  (Mr.  Howe)  no  salary 
from  the  place,  but  £30  from  the 
factory,  and  £5  to  pay  house  rent. 
Customers  to  shop  about  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty-five.  Of  my  own 
gaining  about  ten.'  The  '  shop  ' 
and  '  customers  '  are  of  course  the 
chapel  and  congregation,  and  the 
'  gaining  '  the  number  of  persons 
reconciled  to  the  Church. 

A  new  Gothic  church  took  the 
place  of  the  tower-chapel  in  1843. 
Confirmation  was  given  here  on 
Novernber8, 1891,  for  the  first  time 
in  thirty-one  years,  when,  strange 
to  say,  exactly  thirty-one  persons 
received  that  Sacrament,  from  the 
Bishop  of  Hexham  and  Newcastle. 

Priests  since  1824. 
Rev.  John  Sharrock,  1824. 

N.  Brown,  1835. 

W.  Fletcher,  1837. 

James  Hubbersty,  1848. 

J.  Rogerson,  1854. 

Thos.  Clavering,  1860. 

Robert  Orrell,  1871. 

James  Smits,  1885. 

W.  Farmery,  1888. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


259 


Rev.  Matthew  C alley,  1892. 
„    George  Dover,  1897. 
„    George  Silvertop,  1899. 
„    Francis  Kuyte,  1904  to  date. 


LONGRIDGE,  near  PRESTON, 
LANGS  (Salford).  St.  Wilfrid, 
Pitt  Street. 

The  mission  was  established, 
1869.  By  1884  the  congregation 
had  become  too  large  for  the  chapel. 
The  main  portion  of  the  present 
church  was  opened  Sunday,  July  4, 
1886,  by  Bishop  Vaughan,  of  Sal- 
ford.  The  cost  of  the  completed 
portion  was  about  £3,000 ;  style, 
Early  English ;  seating  capacity 
about  500. 

Priests. 

Eev.  Charles  Boardman,  D.D.,  here 
in  1871. 

„    J.  Wissink,  1895  to  date. 


LONGTON,  STAFFS  (Birming 
ham).  St.  Gregory. 

The  mission  was  formerly  known 
as  Lane  End.  In  1819,  through 
the  exertions  of  Bishop  Milner,  a 
site  was  obtained  and  a  good  chapel 
erected  for  the  benefit  of  the  many 
Catholics  of  these  parts.  Before 
this  time,  the  nearest  chapel  was  at 
Caverswall  Castle  (q.v.).  For  some 
months  after  the  opening,  Longton 
was  attended  by  Frs.  Thomas 
Baddeley  and  William  Wareing,  but 
in  1820  Fr.  Edw.  Daniel  was  ap 
pointed  resident  priest.  This  zeal 
ous  pastor  built  a  school  and  pro 
vided  the  chapel  with  an  organ. 
The  chapel  itself  he  enlarged  in 
1834.  In  1850  the  building  was 
enlarged  by  transepts  added  at  the 
expense  of  Messrs.  Hamilton  and 
Moore,  two  members  of  the  congre 
gation.  The  old  chapel  having  long 


become  inadequate  for  the  largely 
increasing  congregation,  the  pre 
sent  church  (140  ft.  x  50  ft.)  was 
erected,  and  opened  by  Bishop 
Ullathorne,  July  20,  1869.  His 
Lordship  referred  to  the  new  struc 
ture  as  likely  to  prove  '  a  great 
boon  to  the  poor  Catholics  in  this 
dreary  town  of  sin  and  mud.' 

Eev.  E.  Daniel,  1820. 

„    James  Massam,  M.K.,  1857. 
„    John    Stringfellow,    1877    to 
date. 


LOSTOCK  HALL,  LANCS  (Salford). 
St.  Paulinus. 

The  Hall,  the  ancient  seat  of  the 
Anderton  family,  was  built  1591, 
and  enlarged  1702.  James  Ander 
ton  (1557-1613)  appears  to  have 
conformed  to  protestantism  for  a 
time,  but  later  is  said  to  have 
assisted  his  brother  Koger  in  setting 
up  a  secret  press  at  the  Hall. 
Dingley,  the  apostate  priest  and 
informer,  deposed  to  saying  Mass 
at  the  Hall  during  1592.  Fr.  Law 
rence  Anderton,  S.J.,  nephew  of 
James,  and  author  of  the  '  Liturgy 
of  the  Mass,'  '  Life  of  Luther,'  &c., 
laboured  in  the  district  for  several 
years  after  1610.  The  Hall  was 
lost  to  the  Andertons  in  1716, 
owing  to  Francis  Anderton,  Esq., 
having  espoused  the  cause  of 
James  III.  (Prince  James  Francis 
Stuart).  The  mansion  is  now  a  ruin 
and  has  passed  to  the  Blundells 
of  Ince.  The  place,  which  was 
originally  served  by  the  Jesuits, 
was  till  quite  recently  included  in 
the  Brownedge  Mission.  In  1892 
a  chapel  was  opened  at  Lostock 
and  served  from  St.  Mary's  till  it 
became  an  independent  mission 
under  Dom  Francis  Turner,  O.S.B., 
in  1902.  Fr.  Turner,  by  dint  of 
s2 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


much  labour,  raised  €450  and  so 
reduced  the  heavy  debt  on  the 
mission.  He  died  at  Ampleforth, 
December  2,  1905. 

Priests  at  LostocTt. 
Rev.  Henry  Holland,  S.J.,  1610- 
1643.  Was  tried  and  con 
demned  for  his  priesthood 
1648,  but  ultimately 
banished.  Died  at  Liege, 
1656. 

„  John  Turberville,  1700.  The 
district  in  modern  times 
included  in  the  St.  Mary's, 
Brownedge  mission.  A 
chapel  opened  at  Lostock 
1901  and  served  from  the 
former  place  1891-1902. 
,,  Dom  Francis  Ambrose  Turner, 
O.S.B.,  appointed  priest 
1902.  Died  1905. 


LOUGHBOROUGH,       LEICESTER 
SHIRE  (Nottingham).     St.  Mary. 

The    opening    of    the    Catholic 
chapel   at   Loughborough   through 
the  exertions  of  the  Rev.  B.  Hulme 
in    December  1835,  was  made  the 
subject  of  a  furious   anti-Catholic 
'  Address '   in    the    Times    which, 
however,  was  ably  answered  by  a 
*  Counter    Address '    in    the    then    : 
widely  circulated  Andrews'  Weekly 
Orthodox  Journal  (March  8, 1836).    ; 
The   Brothers   of    Charity   opened    j 
their  college   in  the  town  on   the    : 
feast    of    the    Presentation     1844, 
when  the  ceremony  was  marked  by 
a  grand  Catholic  procession.     The 
famous  Fr.  Gentili  preached  at  the    I 
High  Mass.     In  May  1881,  Bishop    j 
Riddell,  of  Northampton,  confirmed    I 
eighty-three  "persons  in  the  church. 

Priests. 
Rev.  B.  Hulme,  1835. 

„    Norbert  Woolfrey,  1840, 

„    Dr.  Pagani,  1842. 

„    Dr,  Gentili,  1844. 


Rev.  A.  Rinolfi,  1846. 

,,    Bartholomew  Crosbie,  1848. 

„    Andrew  Egan,  1851. 

„    Andrew  McGuire,  here  in  1888 


and  to  date. 


LOUTH,  LINCOLNSHIRE  (Not 
tingham).  St.  Mary. 

This  mission  is  one  of  consider 
able  antiquity.  Fr.  R.  Stuthard  suc 
ceeded  Fr.  Fromont  here  1795,  and 
remained  till  January  1806,  when 
Fr.  F.  Martyn  was  appointed.  The 
Abbe  L.  Bertrand  was  incumbent 
in  1824  and  till  1831.  The  mission 
was  marked  vacant  1832,  but  by 
1833  Fr.  H.  Hall  had  been  ap 
pointed.  This  worthy  priest  was 
rector  of  the  mission  till  after  1875. 
The  church  in  Upgate  was  altered 
and  redecorated  in  August  and  Sep 
tember  1882,  the  chancel  roof  being 
adorned  with  emblems  of  the 
Passion,  and  the  north  wall  deco 
rated  by  a  full-length  picture  of  St. 
Hugh  of  Lincoln.  Fr.  A.  Rowley 
was  rector  in  1883,  and  to  date 
(1904). 


LOWER       EDMONTON,       HERTS 

(Westminster).       Church     of     the 
Most  Precious  Blood. 

The  mission  was  opened  in  the 
summer  of  1903,  Fr.  Mac  Mullen 
being  the  first  priest. 


LOWESTOFT,  SUFFOLK  (North 
ampton).  Our  Lady  Star  of  the 
Sea. 

In  August  1881,  Mass  was  said 
in  a  house  in  Upper  Raglan  Street 
by  a  priest  from  Yarmouth.  Fr. 
Geoffrey  Brennan  was  the  first 
resident  missioner,  1882-84.  His 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


261 


successor,  Fr.  Alex.  Scott,  pur 
chased  a  site  in  the  Gordon  Eoad, 
and  the  first  stone  of  the  new  build 
ing  was  laid  by  Bishop  Eiddell, 
August  23,  1900.  The  structure, 
which  accommodates  about  six  hun 
dred,  was  opened  in  the  course  of 
1902.  The  cost  of  erection — or  a 
considerable  portion  of  it — was 
defrayed  by  an  anonymous  bene 
factor. 


LOWICK,        NORTHUMBERLAND 

(Hexham    and    Newcastle).        St. 
Edward. 

The  mission  was  established  here, 
1862,  in  a  temporary  chapel,  served 
every  alternate  Sunday  from  St. 
Ninian's,  Wooler. 

Priests. 
Eev.  C.  Dunn,  1863. 

Jeremiah  Connolly,  1873. 

James  Stark,  1877. 

Joseph  Wilhelm,  1882. 

C.  Hergenroether,  1885. 

Edward  Eigby,  1888. 

Alex.  Gerry,  1901  to  date. 


LULWORTH     CASTLE,      DORSET 

(Plymouth).     St.  Mary. 

The  ancestral  seat  of  the  Weld 
family.  A  chaplain  has  been  main 
tained  here  since  1641,  when  Hum 
phrey  Weld,  Esq.,  of  Holdwell, 
bought  the  estate.  St.  Mary's 
Chapel  was  erected  in  1786.  The 
style  is  Classical.  King  George  III. 
and  his  consort,  Queen  Charlotte, 
visited  the  Castle  in  1789,  when  his 
Majesty  began  that  warm  friendship 
for  the  Weld  family  which  has  be 
come  one  of  the  matters  of  history. 
In  1790  Fr.  James  Carroll  was  con 
secrated  first  Bishop  of  Baltimore, 
U.S.A.,  in  the  chapel  of  Lulworth 
Castle  (August  15,  1790).  Thomas 


(afterwards  Cardinal)  Weld  (1773- 
1837)  was  one  of  the  acolytes  on 
this  occasion.  The  consecrating  pre 
late  was  Bishop  Walmesley,  V.A. 
of  the  Western  District.  The  Trap- 
pist  monks  of  Mount  Melleraye 
occupied  a  house  at  Lulworth  from 
about  1794  till  1815,  when  they  re 
turned  to  France.  Owing  to  the 
recent  expulsion  of  the  French 
religious  orders,  the  Fathers  have 
again  settled  in  England,  at  Kings- 
bridge,  Devon  (q.v.). 


LUTON,  BEDFORDSHIRE  (North 
ampton).  Our  Lady  Help  of 
Christians. 

For  several  years  Luton  was 
served  on  Sundays  from  Bedford. 
In  December  1883,  the  Bishop  of 
Northampton  secured  a  house  in 
Eothsay  Eoad  as  temporary  presby 
tery  and  chapel.  In  January  1884, 
Fr.  Joseph  O'Connor  was  appointed 
to  the  mission  as  resident  priest.  In 
1892  Fr.  John  Hy.  Ashmole  became 
rector.  Fr.  Hy.  O'Connor  is  the 
present  incumbent. 


LUTTERWORTH,  LEICESTER. 
SHIRE  (Nottingham).  Our  Lady 
of  Victories  and  St.  Alphonsus. 

The  mission  is  described  as  being 
started  by  Fr.  Martin,  chaplain  to 
Lord  Denbigh,  1874,  and  for  some 
time  was  served  from  Monks  Kirby. 
After  this  Fr.  Hazeland,  chaplain  to 
Lord  Braye,  and  the  present  incum 
bent,  fitted  up  a  temporary  chapel 
near  the  Denbigh  Arms  Hotel.  Tho 
site  of  the  present  church  was  pre 
sented  by  Lord  Denbigh,  who  also 
gave  £200  towards  the  cost  of  build 
ing  (£1,200).  The  opening,  by  the 
Bishop  of  Nottingham,  took  place  in 
August  1881. 


262 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC    MISSIONS 


LYDD,  KENT  (Southwark). 

An  ancient  town  near  Romney. 
It  is  famous  of  late  years  for  its 
artillery  range  and  also  for  the 
fearful  explosive  lyddite  which  was 
first  experimented  upon  here.  The 
chapel  of  wood  and  iron,  dedicated 
to  St.  Martin  of  Tours,  was  erected 
in  1890  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  many  Catholic  soldiers  of  the 
garrison.  It  was  long  served  by 
the  Rev.  E.  St.  John  of  St.  George's 
Cathedral,  but  since  1898  the 
Canons  Regular  of  St.  Augustine 
have  been  in  charge  of  the  mission. 


LYDIATE,       near      LIVERPOOL, 
LANCS  (Liverpool).     Our  Lady. 

The  foundation  of  the  new  church 
of  Our  Lady  was  laid  on  the  Thurs 
day  of  Easter  week  1854  by  Francis 
Weld  Blundell,  Esq.,  of  Ince  Blun- 
dell  Hall,  who  generously  presented 
the  site.  The  endowment  of  the 
church  was  left  in  the  form  of  be 
quest  by  Charles  Robt.  Blundell, 
Esq.  The  church  — designed  by 
J.  Scoles — is  provided  with  a  tower 
and  steeple.  The  building  was 
opened  in  1854.  The  schools  were 
erected  1862,  and  enlarged  1887.  The 
church  was  consecrated  October  11, 
1892.  Lydiate  Hall,  in  the  parish 
of  Halsall,  is  situated  about  ten 
miles  from  Liverpool,  on  the  South- 
port  Road.  It  was  built  between 
1451  and  1485,  and  subsequently 
came  into  the  possession  of  the 
Andertons,  and  after  them  the 
Blundells.  The  old  chapel  was 
disused  after  the  opening  of  the 
church  in  1854.  During  some  altera 
tions  made  in  the  place  in  1841  a 
secret  hiding-place  behind  a  sliding 
panel  was  discovered  by  a  work 
man.  An  old  pewter  chalice  and 
paten  are  still  preserved  at  the  Hall. 
This  species  of  altar  plate  was  per 


mitted  during  the  penal  times  '  as 
less  likely  to  attract  the  cupidity  of 
pursuivants.'  The  priests  at  Lydiate 
for  nearly  two  centuries  were  Jesuits. 
Some  of  them  were  as  follows  : — 
F.  Waldegrave,  cousin  or  brother 
of  Lord  Waldegrave  (flTOl) ;  J. 
Draper  (fl703);  Rev.  J.  Mostyn 
(tl721);  J.  Blackbourne  (t!728). 
The  mission  of  Lydiate  was  made 
over  to  the  Bishop  of  Liverpool  by 
the  Society  of  Jesus  in  1860.  Fr. 
Thos.  S.  Gibson  was  the  first  priest 
appointed  after  the  transference. 

Recent  Priests. 
Rev.  Thos.  Gibson,  1860. 

„    Wm.  Johnson,  1879. 

„    Edward  Powell,  1885. 

5,    John  Hanly,  here  in  1904. 


LYME     REGIS,      DORSET     (Ply- 
mouth}.     St.  George. 

The  church  was  built  1835-37 
during  the  rectorate  of  Fr.  C. 
Fisher.  E.Goodridge  was  the  archi 
tect.  Fr.  William  Vaughan,  after 
wards  Bishop  of  Plymouth  (1855- 
1902),  completed  the  church  and 
built  the  presbytery.  The  Lady 
chapel,  described  as  a  '  bijou,'  was 
finished  1851.  The  style  of  the 
church  is  Gothic.  In  1882  the 
whole  interior  of  the  edifice  was 
completely  transformed  by  Messrs. 
Westlake  &  Co.  The  high  altar 
was  lighted  by  a  handsome  stained- 
glass  window,  the  gift  of  a  vener 
able  member  of  the  congregation. 
Some  idea  of  the  growth  of  Catho 
licity  in  Lyme  Regis  over  sixty 
years  ago  may  be  gathered  from 
the  early  confirmation  returns.  In 
1836  it  was  ten,  and  in  1849  twenty- 
three.  Fr.  J.  Hurst,  founder  of 
Sedgley  Park  School,  is  said  to 
have  been  here  in  1771,  but  pro 
bably  only  as  a  visitor,  as  prior  to 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


263 


1830  the  few  Catholics  of  the  dis 
trict  '  were  in  the  habit  of  attending 
Axminster  for  prayers.' 

Priests. 
Kev.  Chas.  Fisher,  1835. 

W.  Swarbrick,  1837. 

Wm.  Vaughan,  1840. 

W.  Agar,  1845. 

J.  Conolly,  1854. 

Joseph  Bunn,  1855. 

Joseph  O'Dwyer,  1857. 

James  Canon  Dawson,  1860. 

Eichard  Meagar,  1863. 

Wm.  Walsh,  1867. 

W.  Downing,  here  1871. 

L.  Croutelle,  1882  to  date. 


LYMINGTON,  HANTS  (Ports 
mouth).  Our  Lady  of  Mercy  and 
St.  Joseph. 

The  mission  was  established  in 
1800,  mainly,  it  appears,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  many  French  emi 
grants  who  settled  in  and  around 
this  old  seaport  town  at  the  time 
of  the  Revolution.  The  chapel  was 
at  Pylewell  House,  the  residence 
of  a  branch  of  the  Weld  family  of 
Lulworth  Castle.  The  old  chapel 
was  superseded  by  the  present 
church,  opened  May  18,  1859.  The 
Pylewell  property  afterwards  passed 
to  Wm.  Ingham  Whitaker,  Esq.,  the 
millionaire.  The  baptismal  registers 
date  from  about  1803. 

Priests  since  1800. 
Eev.  J.  Blot,  1800. 
„    John  Alleway,  — . 

Thos.  Tilbury,  1807. 

Abbe  Le  Tcllier,  1809. 

John  Brown,  — . 

John  Leadbetter, — . 

Wm.  Waterton,  S.J.,  1823. 

Richard  Norris,  S.J.,  1824. 

J.  Leadbetter,  1827. 

W.  Waterton,  1833. 

J.  Clough,  1841. 

Wm.  O'Brien,  1846, 


Rev.  Ralph  Cooper,  1853. 
„    Joseph  Holden,  1856. 
„    Jn.  Milner,  1858. 
„    Patrick  O'Connell,  1866. 
„    Cuthbert    Winder,    1904     to 
date. 


LYNDHUEST,  HANTS  (Ports 
mouth) .  Our  Lady  of  the  Assump 
tion. 

In  November  1886,  Fr.  P.  O'Con 
nell,  of   Lyrnington,   established  a 
chapel    at    Wellands    Hall    where 
Mass  might  be    said  on   Sundays. 
In  this  work  he  was  ably  seconded 
by  Mr.  J.  Maxwell,  the  well-known 
publisher.  According  to  one  account 
there  have  long  been  a  number  of 
Catholics  in  the  vicinity.    The  new 
church,  capable  of  accommodating 
•    about   one    hundred   persons,   was 
|    built  at  the  expense  of  M.  Edward 
:    de  Souberbielle   in  memory  of  his 
i    wife  Marie  Louise.      The  style  is 
1    of   the   eleventh  and   twelfth  cen- 
|    turies ;      the     architect     was     Sir 
Arthur  Blomfield.       The  building, 
|    a  gem  of  its  kind,  was  consecrated 
I    by     the     Bishop     of     Portsmouth 
July  28,  1896. 


LYNFOED,  NOBFOLK  (North 
ampton).  Our  Lady  of  Consolation 
and  St.  Stephen. 

This  church,  erected  by  the 
'pious  munificence  '  of  Mrs.  Lyne- 
Stephens,  was  commenced  in  1878 
and  consecrated  Tuesday,  October  7, 
1884,  by  the  Bishop  of  Northampton, 
Dr.  Biddell. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Michael  Canon  Dwane,   188J 
and  to  date. 


264 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


LYNMOUTH,  DEVON. 

Prospect  House  was  opened  as 
a  convent  of  the  Poor  Clare  nuns 
August  1904.  Rev.  Anatole  Durand, 
O.F.M.,  is  the  chaplain. 


LYNN,  NORFOLK  (Northampton). 
St.  Mary's. 

The  mission  was  founded  in  1810 
by  the  Abbe  P.  Dacheux,  an  emigre. 
At  his  death,  May  12,  1843,  aged 
eighty-three,  he  left  his  property  to 
the  poor  of  the  district.  Two  years 
later  (May  8,  1845)  the  present 
church  was  opened  by  Bishop 
Waremg.  Only  the  chancel  and 
nave  (costing  £650)  were  complete 
at  this  time  ;  the  rest  was  added 
later.  The  fine  east  window  was 
designed  by  Wailes.  In  1847  the 
congregation  presented  the  rector, 
Fr.  Dallas,  with  a  silver  chalice  of 
antique  pattern  for  the  use  of  the 
mission. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Abbe  P.  Dacheux,  1810. 

John  Dalton,  1843. 

Geo.  Canon  Rigby,  1847. 

T.  McDonald,  1860. 

Wm.  Poole,  1863. 

Andrew  Walshe,  1866. 

Stodart  Macdonald,  1877. 

Geo.  Wrigglesworth,  1888. 

Chas.  Eeles,  1901  to  date. 


LYNTON,  NORTH  DEVON  (Ply. 
mouth). 

A  recently  established  mission 
served  from  Lynmouth, 


LYTHAM,     LANCS      (Liverpool). 
St.  Peter. 

The  handsome  church  was  re 
opened  after  redecoration,  Sunday, 
September  9,  1888.  The  Lady  and 
St.  Joseph  chapels  were  adorned 
after  the  Gothic  style,  and  the  entire 
church  wainscoted  in  oak.  New 
stations  of  the  Cross  and  an  oak 
pulpit  were  given  by  the  congrega 
tion.  Mass  was  formerly  said  at 
Clifton  Hall,  where  a  regular  chapel 
was  built  1764  and  used  till  1800. 
A  tithe -barn  was  then  fitted  up  for 
worship,  and  used  till  the  opening 
of  the  church  in  1839.  The  tower 
was  added  in  1878  by  the  late  Jn. 
Talbot  Clifton,  Esq.,  who  also  pre 
sented  the  present  rectory.  The 
church  was  newly  benched  in  1893, 
and  a  peal  of  bells  hung  1894.  The 
congregation  is  about  1,000. 

Priests. 
Rev.  W.  Westby,  1712. 

C.  Burton,  S.J.,  1740. 

—  Mansell,  S.J.,  1750. 

—  Blacow,  O.S.B.,  1790. 
-  Pope,  O.S.B.,  1802. 

Thos.  Dawson,  1804. 
Jos.  Walmesley,  1829. 
Roger  Taylor,  1873. 
James  Canon  Taylor,  1885. 


M 


MACCLESFIELD,      CHESHIRE 

(Shrewsbury).     St.  Alban's. 

From  1716  till  the  apostasy  of 
Viscount  Fauconberg  in  1732,  Mass 
was  said  at  his  residence  of  Sutton 
Hall.  After  this  time  a  chapel 
was  opened  at  Lane  Ends.  In 
1792,  a  larger  chapel  was  erected 
at  Blackwall  Gate.  Another  and 
still  larger  chapel,  dedicated  to 
St.  Michael,  was  built  in  Chester 
Road  1810,  a  room  partitioned  off 
serving  as  the  priest's  residence ! 
Fr.  J.  Hall,  D.D.,  came  here  in 
1821,  at  which  time  the  congrega 
tion  numbered  about  300.  He  did 
much  for  the  Catholicity  of  the 
place,  and  also  attended  one  or  two 
other  missions  besides.  In  1839 
he  commenced  the  present  fine  ex 
ample  of  '  an  old  English  parochial 
church,'  designed  by  Pugin,  and 
opened  in  May  1841.  The  splendid 
east  window  was  the  gift  of  the 
Earl  of  Shrewsbury.  A  Catholic 
cemetery  was  blessed  in  1866. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Edw.  Kenyon,  1792. 

„   Abbe  Louis  Robin,  1796  (?). 
„    J.  Provost  Hall,  D.D.,  1821. 

Hy.  Alcock,  1857. 

Wm.  Walton,  1858. 

Geo.  Clegg,  1862. 

M.  Rogerson,  1863. 

Hy.  Canon  Walker,  1872. 

Ja's.  Robinson,  1889. 


MAGHALL,  LIVEEPOOL  (Liver 
pool).  St.  George. 

The  mission  was  founded  in 
1887,  and  was  served  from  the 
Bishops'  House  till  1892,  when 
Canon  Charles  Green  was  ap 
pointed  rector.  He  was  succeeded 
by  the  present  incumbent,  Fr.  Wni. 
Dennet,  in  1902. 


MAIDENHEAD,  BERKS  (Ports 
mouth).  St.  Joseph,  Marketplace. 

The  mission  was  started  in  1867 
by  Fr.  J.  C.  Robertson,  who  opened 
a  temporary  chapel  in  St.  Ives 
Place.  In  March  1879,  a  fine  site 
was  procured  for  £1,116,  and  in 
August  1884  the  first  stone  was 
laid.  The  church  is  cruciform,  of 
flint  and  brick.  The  style  is  of  the 
Transition  period.  The  cost  of  the 
building  was  £1,500.  Fr.  J.  Scan- 
nell  was  the  priest  at  the  time  the 
new  church  was  built.  The  build 
ing  was  opened  in  December  1884. 

Eecent  Priests. 
Rev.  Jn.  Watson,  here  in  1891. 

„    Louis  Canon  Hall,  1893. 

„    Jn.  Watson,  here  (second  time) 
1897. 

„    P.  Curtin,  1903  to  date. 


266 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


MAIDEN    LANE,    STRAND,    LON 
DON,  W.C.  (Westminster). 

The  Church  of  Corpus  Christi  ' 
was  commenced  August  1874  by 
the  late  Canon  Keens.  The  site  of 
the  building  is  on  that  of  the  '  Cyder 
Cellars '  music-hall,  made  famous 
by  Thackeray  and  Sam  Hall's  grue 
some  song.  The  building,  which 
is  of  red  brick  and  Gothic  in  style, 
was  opened  by  Cardinal  Manning 
in  1875.  Present  rector,  Fr.  Jn. 
Subra. 

MAIDSTONE,  KENT  (Southward}. 
St.  Francis  of  Assisi. 

At  the  initiation  of  Bishop  Grant 
a  mission  was  opened  here  in  1859, 
Mass  being  said  in  '  a  poor  dwelling- 
house  in  an  obscure  street.'  A  large 
mansion,  known  as  Grove  House, 
was  purchased  in  1860,  where  a 
temporary  chapel  was  fitted  up. 
The  schools,  designed  by  E.  W. 
Pugin,  were  opened  by  Bishop 
Grant  in  March  1863.  On  Octo 
ber  4,  1880,  the  present  church, 
designed  by  C.  Wray,  was  opened 
by  Bishop  Danell.  The  style  is  Geo 
metric  Gothic ;  dimensions,  60  ft. 
by  40  ft. 

Priests. 
Eev.  E.  Emanuele,  1859. 

James  Purdon,  1866. 

A.  Cumberlege,  1869. 

M.  Duggan,  1877. 

J.  Warner,  1885. 

James  Duggan.  1893. 

Geo.  Le  Bosquet,  1899  to  date. 


MALDON,  ESSEX  (Westminster). 
Our  Lady. 

The  mission  was  commenced  in 
1890,  and  served  on  Sundays  from 
Witham  till  1901.  The  first  chapel 
(temporary)  was  in  Silver  Street, 
and  was  replaced  by  the  present 
one  in  the  Victoria  Eoad  1898. 
Catholic  population  about  seventy. 


Priests. 

Rev.  M.  Fitzpatrick. 
„    A.  Fortescue,  D.D. 

MALMESBURY,  WILTS  (Clifton). 
St.  Aldhelm,  Cross  Hays. 

The  mission  was  started  in  1867, 
'  with  just  means  sufficient  to  sup 
port  the  missionary  priest-in-charge 
and  a  lay  brother.'  In  1868,  a 
school  was  opened;  the  attendance 
in  1880  was  about  fifty.  The  church, 
a  Gothic  stone -faced  brick  struc 
ture,  was  built  in  1875.  Fr.  F. 
Larive,  of  the  Congregation  of  St. 
Francis  of  Sales,  who  was  priest 
here  in  1881,  did  much  to  spread 
the  Faith  in  and  around  Malmes- 
bury.  The  wealthy  silk  manufac 
turer,  Mr.  Davenport,  '  a  good 
Catholic  proprietor,'  was  a  great 
benefactor  to  the  mission.  Fr.  F. 
Decompoix,  here  since  1891,  is  the 
present  rector. 

MALTON,  YORKS  (Middles 
brough).  St.  Mary. 

Fr.  John  Taylor,  S.J.,  who  la 
boured  in  the  Yorkshire  district, 
was  arrested  here  June  7,  1642, 
and  in  March  following  was  in 
dicted  at  the  York  assizes  for  his 
priesthood.  He  was  sentenced  to 
death,  but  subsequently  released. 
After  a  long  life  spent  on  the  mis 
sion  he  died  in  Hampshire  1675. 
The  present  mission  dates  from 
1837,  in  which  year  the  chapel  was 
built. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Eobert  Garstang,  1837. 

„    Thos.  Middlehurst,  1851. 

„    Stephen  AVells,  1857. 

,,    Thos.     Middlehurst      (second 
time),  1860. 

,,    James  Eedding,  1881. 

„    Patrick  Clarke,  1885. 

„    Wm.  Murray,  1888. 

„    James  Coghlan,  1890, 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


267 


Eev.  Edmund  Hickey,  1893. 

„    Augustine  D'Hooghe,  1902  to 
date. 

MALVEKN,  GREAT  (Birming 
ham).  St.  Joseph's. 

The  church,  in  the  Early  English 
style,  was  opened  October  26,  1876. 
The  site  was  given  by  Mr.  Hornyold, 
of  Blackmore  Park  ;  T.  E.  Donelly, 
architect.  Although  so  compara 
tively  long  established,  the  church 
is  still  served  from  the  Benedictine 
monastery  at  Great  Malvern. 


MALVERN,  GREAT,  WORCESTER 
SHIRE.  Our  Lady  and  St.  Edmund. 

The  Benedictine  monastery  was 
established  here  in  1891,  but  by 
1904  the  chapel  had  become  so 
dilapidated  that  it  was  resolved  to 
erect  a  new  church.  The  founda 
tion  stone  of  the  building  was  laid 
Tuesday,  September  6, 1904,  by  the 
Bishop  of  Birmingham.  A  statue 
of  St.  Edmund,  king  and  martyr, 
the  secondary  patron,  stands  on  a 
niche  to  the  left  of  the  porch.  The 
seating  accommodation  is  for  about 
300.  This  church  was  one  of  the 
last  designed  by  the  late  Peter 
Paul  Pugin,  K.S.G.  The  opening 
took  place  in  the  summer  of  1905. 

The  mission  of  Great  Malvern 
was  established  in  1871  by  Fr. 
Henry  Bernard  Bulbeck  at  Aldwyri 
Tower.  He  died  in  1901. 


MANCHESTER,          LANCASHIRE 

(Salford).     St.    Alban's,    Fawcett 
Street,  Ancoats. 

The  first  chapel  was  opened 
November  15,  1863,  the  present 
church  in  1878.  Before  the  erec 
tion  of  a  separate  mission  the  dis 
trict  was  served  from  St.  Anne's. 

Priests. 
llev,  John  Gornall,  1863, 


Eev.  P.  Hennebery,  1884. 
„    F.  Timony,  1888  to  date. 


MANCHESTER.      St.  Aloysius. 

As  the  congregation,  between 
four  and  five  hundred  in  number, 
was  leaving  the  church  after  the 
last  Mass  on  Sunday,  October  2, 
1880,  the  floor  gave  way,  with 
the  result  that  one  person  was 
killed  and  six  injured.  The  acci 
dent  was  caused  by  a  subsidence  of 
the  foundations.  The  new  church, 
in  Park  Place,  Ardwick  Green,  was 
opened  March  15,  1884,  by  Bishop 
Vaughan,  of  Salford.  The  building 
is  Gothic  and  cruciform.  The  ac 
commodation  is  for  800,  the  cost 
of  the  building,  of  which  Mr. 
Healy,  of  Manchester,  was  the  archi 
tect,  being  about  £'3,200.  Fr.  J. 
M.  O'Callaghan  was  priest  at  the 
time  the  church  was  built.  The 
mission  was  established  1852,  and 
for  some  years  was  served  from  St. 
Augustine's. 


MANCHESTER.     St.  Anne's. 

The  church  was  opened  August 
31,  1847,  and  completed  June  7, 
1848.  The  first  priest  of  the  mis 
sion  was  Fr.  Geo.  Green,  afterwards 
Catholic  chaplain  at  Dartmoor 
Prison  for  many  years.  The 
church  debt  was  greatly  reduced 
(£5,000  to  £2,000)  by  Canon  Lip- 
trott,  who  also  made  several  valu 
able  additions  to  the  schools  and 
presbytery.  Congregation  about 
6,000  (1906). 

Priests. 
Eev.  Geo.  Green,  1847. 

„    Thos.  Allen,  1855. 

„    Peter  Canon  Liptrott,  1865. 

,,    M.    Buckley    (administrator), 
1894. 

,,    Lionel  Canon  O'Kelly,  1895  to 
date. 


268 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


MANCHESTER.     St.  Augustine's. 

The  old  church  was  built  1818- 
1820  at  the  suggestion  of  Fr. 
Broomhead.  The  site  was  in 
Granby  Kow.  The  ground  was 
recently  acquired  by  the  Corpora 
tion  for  £39,000.  The  present 
church  in  York  Street  was  opened 
by  the  Bishop  of  Salford,  Septem 
ber  8,  1896.  See  under  St.  Chad's. 


MANCHESTER.  St.  Bridget,  Mill 
Street,  Bradford. 

When,  in  1877,  it  became  neces 
sary  to  establish  a  mission  for  the 
largely  increasing  Catholic  popula 
tion  here,  a  site  was  obtained  by 
the  late  Canon  Liptrott,  of  St. 
Anne's,  Manchester,  from  Townley- 
Parker,  Esq.,  upon  which  a  school 
chapel  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
£2,000.  The  building  was  opened 
in  1879,  and  by  1880  the  district 
served  by  it  had  become  an  inde 
pendent  mission.  The  estimated 
congregation  is  over  4,000  (1906). 
An  iron  church  took  the  place  of 
the  chapel  in  the  school  May  18, 
1884. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Wm.  Sassen,  1880  to  date. 


MANCHESTER.     St.  Chad's. 

Catholics  are  said  to  have  been 
very  numerous  in  Manchester  dur 
ing  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
centuries,  but  on  account  of  the 
laws  numbers  were  compelled  to 
disguise  their  religion.  Chapels 
near  the  town  existed  at  Crumpsall 
Hall,  Trafford,  &c.,  and  Catholics 
were  frequently  visited  in  their 
own  homes  by  peripatetic  priests. 
No  records  of  baptisms  were  kept 
till  about  1772,  when  they  num 
bered  seventy.  In  1781,  the  Catholic 
population  was  reckoned  at  1,100. 
Fr,  Rowland  Broomhead,  an 


alumnus  of  Sedgley  Park  and  the 
English  College,  Rome,  who  came 
to  Manchester  in  1778,  made  the 
old  religion  a  power.  The  priests 
immediately  before  him  were  Fr. 
Edw.  Helme  (died  1773)  and  Fr. 
Orrell,  who  in  1776  built  the  old 
St.  Chad's  Chapel  in  Rook  Street. 
This  place  of  worship  supplanted  an 
older  chapel  down  a  passage  known 
as  '  Roman  Entry.'  After  sixteen 
years'  labour  Fr.  Broomhead  found 
it  necessary  to  erect  another  chapel 
(St.  Mary's)  in  Mulberry  Street. 
A  third,  St.  Augustine's,  was  con 
secrated  a  few  days  before  his 
death  in  1820,  at  which  time  the 
Catholic  population  had  risen  from 
1,000  in  1778  to  over  40,000! 
The  old  St.  Chad's,  in  Rook 
Street,  was  sold  in  February  1846, 
and  the  foundations  of  the  new 
church  commenced  in  York  Street, 
Cheetham,  the  following  April. 
The  building  was  opened  by  Bishop 
Browne,  August  4, 1847,  upon  which 
occasion  a  relic  cf  St.  Chad  was 
presented  to  the  church  by  Bishop 
(afterwards  Cardinal)  Wiseman. 


MANCHESTER.      St.      Edward, 
Rusholme. 

The  church  was  opened  in 
December  1861.  Style,  Early  Eng 
lish,  from  design  by  A.  W.  Pugin  ; 
size,  90  ft.  by  44ft. ;  cost  of  erection, 
about  £3,000. 

Priests. 
Rev.  J.  Fox,  1861. 

„    Peter  Vermeulen,  1874. 

„    Cornelius  Vcrvoort,  1877. 

„    Tlios.  Croskell,  1879    and  to 
date. 


MANCHESTER.  St.  Francis  of 
Assisi,  Gorton. 

The  Franciscan  Recollect  Fathers 
established  a  mission  here  in  1862, 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


269 


the  first  church  being  opened  Octo 
ber  4,  1863,  and  the  present  struc 
ture  September  26,  1872.  Fr.  F. 
Verhaegen  was  the  first  Guardian. 


MANCHESTER.  The  Holy  Name. 
The  mission  was  founded  1867 
by  Fr.  Thos.  Porter,  SJ.  The 
church  \vas  built  out  of  a  legacy 
loft  by  Miss  Harriet  Walton,  of 
Worcester.  A  splendid  Chapel 
of  the  Sacred  Heart  was  added  to 
the  church  May  1888.  The  altar- 
piece  represents  the  vision  of  Our 
Saviour  to  the  Blessed  Margaret 
Mary. 

Priests. 
Kev.  Thos.  Porter,  1867. 

Henry  Birch,  1871. 

Wm.  Lawson,  1877. 

Joseph  Jackson,  1885. 

Bernard  Vaughan,  1888. 

Thos.  Brown,  1902  to  date. 


MANCHESTER.  St.  Mary's,  Mul 
berry  Street. 

The  old  chapel,  as  has  been 
already  mentioned,  was  erected  by 
Fr.  R.  Broomhead,  and  was  opened 
November  30,  1794.  The  fabric 
was  built  by  subscriptions  from 
Catholics  and  Protestants,  the 
annual  ground  rent,  payable  to  Jn. 
Leaf,  Esq.,  being  £49  10s.  Fr.  H. 
Gillow,  rector  1821-37  is  said  to 
have  been  the  last  priest  in  Man 
chester  to  wear  hair  powder,  knee 
breeches,  and  silver  buckles.  The 
old  chapel,  having  long  become  in 
adequate,  was  replaced  by  the  pre 
sent  Gothic  church,  opened  by 
Bishop  Brown  October  19,  1848. 

Priests. 
Rev.  E.  Kenyon,  1794-1816. 

„    Henry  Gillow,  1821-37. 

„    J.  Billington,  1837. 

„    Jas.  Boardman,  1844. 

„    Mathias  Canon  Formby,  1846. 


Rev  Jn.  Newton,  1863. 

„    John  Burke,  M.R.,  1884. 
„    Edward  O'Dwyer,  1888. 
„    Thos.  Buckley,  1897. 
„    Thos.  Walsh,  1898  to  date. 


MANCHESTER.     St.  Michael's. 

The  church  (style  Early  English), 
for  1,000,  was  opened  August  1, 
1869.  Wm.  Nicholson,  Esq.,  was 
the  architect.  The  sanctuary  is 
lighted  by  a  fine  east  window  re 
presenting  the  Crucifixion.  Until 
the  opening  of  the  church  the 
mission  was  served  by  a  temporary 
chapel,  opened  July  1859. 

Priests. 
Mission  served  from  St.  Patrick's 

from  1859  till  after  1875. 
Rev.  Henry  Hill,  1877. 

„    John  Bramer,  1882. 

„    Thos.  Canon  Byrne,  1888  and 
to  date. 

MANCHESTER.  St.  Patrick's, 
Livesey  Street. 

The  church  was  opened  Feb 
ruary  29,  1832,  by  Bishop  Pens- 
wick,  V.A.  The  style  is  Grecian 
and  cruciform.  In  1846,  much 
scandal  was  caused  by  the  affair  of 
Fr.  Daniel  Hearne,  the  rector. 
This  priest  did  not  get  on  well 
with  his  curates,  and  to  prevent 
further  difficulty  Bishop  Brown 
replaced  him  by  Fr.  (afterwards 
Bishop)  Roskell.  The  largely  Irish 
congregation  made  a  great  disturb 
ance  at  this,  denouncing  the 
Bishop  and  English  clergy,  and 
even  brawling  in  the  church  during 
service  time  !  Thanks  to  the  inter 
vention  of  Frs  .  Gentili  and  Fur 
long,  the  deplorable  state  of  things 
ended  November  12,  1846.  Fr. 
Hearne  died  on  the  mission  in  the 
United  States  some  time  after  1851. 
In  1854,  the  mission  had  two 
flourishing  elementary  schools,  with 


270 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


an  average  attendance  of  900 
pupils.  The  Sunday -school  attend 
ance  was  upwards  of  1,000. 

Priests  after  Fr.  Roskell. 
Rev.  Edmund    Cantwell,    1851    to 

after  1875. 

,,    Bishop  Vaughan  (administra 
tor),  1877. 
,,    D.      Forbes      (administrator, 

1891). 

„     J.    Canon    Mussely    (rector), 
1894  and  to  date. 


MANCHESTER.     St.  William. 

This  chapel  is  in  Simpson  Street, 
close  to  Rochdale  Road.  The  style 
is  plain  Gothic,  and  the  building 
will  accommodate  about  750.  The 
cost,  £1,200,  was  almost  entirely 
contributed  by  the  congregation  of 
St.  Chad's.  The  architect  of  the 
chapel — opened  in  December  1865 
— was  Mr.  E.  Tijou.  The  mission 
was  served  from  St.  Chad's  till 
1895,  and  again  from  1903-5. 

Priests. 
Rev.  James  Thomson,  1895. 

„    M.  Holohan,  1899. 


MAPLEDURHAM,  OXON.  (Bir 
mingham).  St.  Michael. 

The  place  is  associated  with  the 
ancestral  seat  of  the  ancient  Catho 
lic  family  of  Blount,  who  have 
been  resident  here  since  1489.  Fr. 
Richard  Blount,  first  Provincial  of 
the  Jesuits  in  England,  1623,  was  a 
member  of  this  family,  which  has 
given  several  members  to  the 
Society.  Mapledurham  was  one  of 
the  places  served  by  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  of  the  Oxford  Circuit  of 
St.  Mary,  but  the  records,  if  exist 
ing,  are  '  now  lost  to  memory.' 
The  house,  like  all  those  of  the  re 
cusants,  has  '  a  good  specimen  of 
a  priests'  hiding-place.'  In  the 
eighteenth  century  Mapledurham 


would  appear  to  have  been  served 
for  some  time  by  Franciscans.     It 
is  mentioned  in  the  correspondence 
!    of    Fr.    Felix    Englefield,     O.S.F. 
(died  1767),  and  in  1758  Fr.  Ed 
ward   Madew   was    resident    here. 
In    1766    Mrs.    Mary    Blount,    of 
Mapledurham,  gave  a  donation  of 
i    £30  to  the    Order  for  anniversary 
|    and  other  Masses.     The  mission  is 
I    at  present  served  from  Reading. 


MARGATE     (Southward}.        SS. 
Austin  and  Gregory,  Victoria  Road. 

From  the  time  of  James  II.  to 
the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
the  few  Catholics  'in  Margate  and 
Ramsgate  had  to  resort  to  the. 
ancient  mansion  of  the  Hales 
family,  near  Canterbury,  for  '  the 
ordinances  and  sacraments  of  the 
Church.'  About  1793,  the  wealthy 
Lancashire  Catholic  family  of 
Gillow  had  Mass  said  privately 
for  them  by  their  chaplain  in  a 
small  building  in  Prospect  Place. 
In  1800,  Bishop  Douglass,  aided  by 
Mr.  Kebbel- White,  bought  the  site 
of  a  chapel,  which  was  erected  in 
Prospect  Place  1801-4.  The  ex 
ternal  appearance  was  very  much 
like  a  Methodist  meeting-house. 
The  chapel  was  70  ft.  long  by  20  ft. 
wide,  with  a  gallery  at  one  end, 
and  was  capable  of  seating  250 
persons.  The  first  baptism  is  re 
corded  March  9,  1823.  The  Abbe 
Francois  Bellisant,  an  emigre,  was 
the  first  resident  priest  (1804-8). 
He  afterwards  became  chaplain  to 
the  Benedictine  nuns  at  Hammer 
smith.  Fr.  Joseph  Anson  suc 
ceeded  him.  He  was  followed  by 
Fr.  J.  Costigan,  from  Webb  Street, 
Bermondsey.  From  1803-21  the 
baptisms  at  Margate  numbered 
129  ;  from  1822-37,  130.  The  old 
chapel  in  later  times  was  adorned 
with  a  stone  font  presented'  by 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


271 


Pugin  and  a  copy  of  Guido's  pic 
ture  of  the  Crucifixion.1     This  pic 
ture    was   rescued    from    the    old 
chapel  of  Moorfields  when  it   was 
burnt   by   the    Gordon    rioters   in 
1780.     Fr.  Costigan  opened  a  small 
school  shortly  after  his  arrival,  but 
owing  to  lack  of  funds  it  had  to  be 
soon  closed.     Upon  his  arrival,  Fr. 
Costigan  found  himself    the    only 
priest  upon  the  coast  of  Kent.     He 
had  in  consequence  to  visit  from 
time  to  time  such  remote  districts 
as  St.  Leonards  and  Hastings.     He 
sometimes  celebrated  Mass  at  Eye, 
Eomney,  Deal,  Hythe,  and  Dover, 
for  such  scattered  congregations  as 
he  could  collect.     Once  when  going    j 
on  a  sick  call  a  great  distance  off,    ; 
Dr.  Phillpotts,  protestant  Bishop  of    \ 
Exeter,   kindly   drove   him  to   his    ! 
destination  in  his  coach,  and,  the    I 
evening    being   very    stormy,    the    i 
great  Duke  of  Wellington  put  him    j 
up  for  the  night  at  Walmer  Castle. 
In  1860,  Fr.  H.  Whiteside,  O.S.B.,    i 
of   Kamsgate,  who  had  succeeded    j 
Fr.  Costigan   after   his   retirement 
in  1856,   started  a  day  school   for 
children   in   his   own   house.       In 
three  years  the  number  increased 
to  forty,  and  in  1863  a  school-house 
was  erected  on  a  piece  of  ground 
adjoining   the    church.      In    June 
1866,  the  church  was  reopened  by 
Bishop  Grant,  after  having  under 
gone  much-needed  repair.     In  1878 
what  was  practically  a  new  church 
was  opened  at  Eamsgate  by  exten 
sive  additions  to  the  old  building. 
A  new  pulpit  of  Caen  stone   was 

1  During  the  French  Revolution,  a  ship 
freighted  with  sacred  pictures  and 
'  church  stuff '  was  wrecked  off  the  coast 
of  Kent,  and  such  portions  of  the  cargo 
as  got  ashore  were  sold  by  auction. 
Hence,  half  a  century  ago,  good  copies 
of  religious  pictures  were  common  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Ramsgate,  Deal, 
Sandwich,  &c. 


presented  in  October  1882,  and  in 
November  1884  a  fine  new  altar 
was  erected  in  the  church  by  Cap 
tain  Chambers,  British  consul  at 
Guayaquil.  Finally  in  August 
1891  a  new  side  chapel  was  built 
in  honour  of  St.  Joseph.  Fr.  T. 
Elphege  Power,  O.S.B.,  is  the  pre 
sent  rector. 


MARK  CROSS,  near  TUNBRIDGE 
WELLS,  SUSSEX  (Southwarlc). 

The  Holy  Trinity. 

The  convent  boarding  school  of 
the  Holy  Child  Jesus  nuns,  a  fine 
Gothic  structure  designed  by  A.  W. 
Pugin,  was  erected  and  partially 
endowed  by  the  late  Dowager 
Duchess  of  Leeds,  1866.  The  en 
dowment  is  mainly  for  the  main 
tenance  of  a  certain  number  of 
orphans  of  a  superior  class  who 
hold  the  same  status  as  the  '  foun 
dation  scholars'  at  the  public 
schools.  The  church — a  handsome 
Decorated  Gothic  structure — was 
completed  1875,  and  is  open  to  the 
public.  Accommodation  for  about 
250. 

Priests. 

Eev.  J.  Baron,  S.J.,  1866. 
„    T.  Maher,  1874. 
„    John  Warner,  1877. 

Michael  Cotter,  1885. 

Charles  Stapley,  1888. 

C.  Ellison,  1891. 

Vincent  Placid  Wray,  O.S.B., 
1893. 

James  Duggan,  1900. 

A.  Wright,  1906  to  date. 


MARKET       DRAYTON,       SALOP 

(Shrewsbury).     SS.    Thomas    and 
Stephen. 

The  mission  was  founded  from 
Whitchurch  in  1857.  The  new 
church  was  opened  by  Bishop 


272 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


Knight,  of  Shrewsbury,  in  November 
1886,  the  cost  of  the  building  being 
defrayed  by  Egerton  Harding, 
Esq.,  of  Old  Springs.  Mr.  Edmund 
Kir  by,  of  Liverpool,  was  the  archi 
tect.  The  style  is  Early  English. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Jas.  Kenny,  1857. 

„    H.  Walker,  1858. 

„    J.  Robinson,  18(54. 

„    L.  Levett,  1884  (first  resident 
priest). 

„    D.  Williams,  1890. 

„    H.  Lynch,  1894. 


MARKET  HARBOROUGH,  LEI 
CESTERSHIRE  (Nottingham).  Our 
Lady  of  Victories. 

The  mission  was  started  in  1859, 
being  served  from  Leicester  once  a 
fortnight.  By  1874,  a  temporary 
chapel  had  been  erected  and  placed 
under  the  care  of  Fr.  Richard 
Vandepitte,  during  whose  rectorate 
the  present  church  was  built.  As 
late  as  1893,  the  '  presbytery  '  was 
miserably  furnished,  the  schools 
were  not  recognised  by  Govern 
ment,  and  had  only  eighteen 
children.  By  1897,  things  had 
greatly  altered  for  the  better.  The 
schools  had  an  average  attendance 
of  fifty-two  and  were  '  under  inspec 
tion,'  while  the  attendance  at  Mass 
on  Sundays  had  risen  from  thirty  or 
forty  to  nearly  a  hundred.  The  total 
number  of  the  congregation  was 
then  about  300. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Fr.  R.  Vandepitte,  1873. 

„     Fr.  H.  Kavanagh,  1893. 

N.B. — A  considerable  portion  of 
the  church  and  school  building 
fund  (£D700)  was  bequeathed  by  the 
Abbe  Malvoisin,  who  died  1847. 
He  was  chaplain  to  the  Nevilles  of 
Holt. 


MARKET          RASEN,          LINGS 

(Nottingham).     Holy  Rood. 

The  place  was  occasionally 
visited  by  Fr.  Johnson,  S.J.,  prior 
to  the  year  1782.  In  that  year, 
Fr.  Richard  Knight,  chaplain  at 
Kingerby,  built  a  commodious 
edifice  at  Market  Rasen  which 
served  both  for  chapel  and 
presbytery.  Fr.  James  Lesley  was 
here  till  1793,  and  the  Abbe 
Allaine  from  this  latter  3^ear  till 
1798.  Fr.  W.  Brewster,  'the  last 
of  the  Carmelite  Order  in  England,' 
served  the  mission  from  this  last 
date  till  1848.  This  worthy  priest, 
aided  by  some  of  the  congregation, 
erected  the  present  chapel,  opened 
September  14,  1824.  On  retiring 
from  the  mission,  Fr.  Brewster  re 
sided  at  an  adjacent  cottage  till  his 
death  in  1849,  aged  seventy-nine. 
When  Bishop  Roskell  visited  the 
place  in  1849,  the  mission  was  in 
a  very  flourishing  condition,  with 
schools,  efficient  choir,  &c.  New 
north  and  south  aisles  were  opened 
in  September  1868,  the  church  being 
remodelled  after  the  style  of 
twelfth-century  Gothic  by  Messrs. 
Hadfield.  The  Young  family  of 
Kingerby,  an  ancient  Catholic 
stock,  have  been  great  benefactors 
to  the  mission.  The  122nd  anni 
versary  of  the  establishment  of  the 
mission  was  celebrated  Sunday, 
September  18,  1904. 

Priests  since  1848. 
Rev.  James  Walker,  1848. 
Thos.  Clarke,  1851. 
Thos.  Canon  Sing,  1860. 
Algernon  Moore,  here  1871. 
James  Canon  Dwyer,  1876. 
Francis  Hays,  1901  to  date. 


MARNHULL,  DORSET  (Ply. 
moutli). 

The  Hussey  family  purchased 
the  manor  of  Marnhull  and 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


273 


established  the  mission  1651.  The 
priest  of  the  place  resided  either 
there  or  at  Stour  Provost.  A 
chapel  was  erected  1772,  and  con 
tinued  in  use  till  the  opening  of  the 
present  one,  July  3,  1832.  The 
English  Benedictine  nuns  of  Paris 
took  refuge  here  at  the  time  of  the 
great  Revolution,  but  retired  to 
Cannington  1807. 

Priests. 
Rev.  —  Smith,  1720. 

„    T.  Cornforth   (died  1748;    he 
founded     a    fund    for    the 
support  of  his  successors). 
„    Ed.  Molyneux,  1749. 
„    Jn.  Englefield,  1761  (?). 
„    Geo.  Bishop,  1768. 
,,    E.  Molyneux,  junr.,  1769. 
„    Jn.  Smith,  1770. 
„    C.  Fryer,  1774. 

Edw.  Hussey,  O.S.B.,  1785. 
Abbe  Chas.  Primord,  1802. 
Win.  Casey,  1824. 
Thos.  Spencer,  1866  (?). 
Walter  Keily,  1879. 
John  McCarthy,  1882. 
Augustine  White,  C.E.L.,  1885. 
B.  Grillet,  1892. 
Urban  Rouviere,  1897. 
Alex.  C.  Dodard,  1898  to  date. 


MARPLE  BRIDGE,  near  STOCK- 
PORT,  DERBYSHIRE  (Nottingham}. 

Mass  was  said  here  for  the  first 
time  in  recent  years  on  December 
21,  1859.  The  church,  which  is  a 
neat  structure,  was  mainly  founded 
by  Lord  Howard  of  Glossop  and 
Edward  Eoss,  Esq.,  of  this  locality. 

Priests. 
Rev.  James  Luke,  1859. 

,,    Michael  Canon  Scully,  1876. 

„    C.  McSweeny,  1890. 

In  August  1900  Fr.  McSweeny 
was  raised  to  the  dignity  of 
missionary  rector. 


MARTON,  YORKS  (Middles- 
b  rough).  Most  Holy  Sacrament. 

The  mission  was  started  in  1774 
by  Fr.  Chas.  Howard,  D.D.,  who 
ministered  here  till  July  1815. 
Fr.  Hogarth,  in  forwarding  the 
registers  to  the  Commissioners  of 
Records  at  Somerset  House  in 
1840,  implies  that  the  mission 
has  a  much  older  date  of  founda 
tion  than  the  one  given  above 
(1774),  but  no  details  are  forth 
coming.  The  priest  in  1816  was 
Fr.  Thos.  Hodgson.  After  1824 
Canon  Robert  Hogarth,  V.G.,  was 
appointed.  He  was  succeeded  in 
1863  by  Fr.  Gco.  Keasley.  The 
mission  was  vacant  in  1875,  1883, 
and  1889.  After  this  it  was  served 
from  Hedon  till  1896.  In  1897 
Fr.  Patrick  Ryan  was  rector,  and 
till  after  1900.  Fr.  Christopher 
Flanagan  is  the  present  rector. 


MARYLEBONE    ROAD,    LONDON, 

N.W.    (Westminster}.     Our    Lady 
of  the  Rosary. 

In  1848,  the  Count  de  Torre 
Diaz,  a  Spanish  nobleman  resident 
in  London,  hired  a  hall  in  Cato 
Street,  where  Fr.  Hodgson,  the 
devoted  priest-missioner,  said  Mass 
and  preached  Sunday  after  Sun 
day  to  a  numerous  congregation 
drawn  from  the  slums  and  alleys  of 
the  neighbourhood.  The  chapel 
having  become  unsafe,  Fr.  Hodg 
son  continued  his  ministry  by 
preaching  vigorous  open-air  ser 
mons  in  the  courts  behind  Portland 
Street.  In  .1849  the  Count  de 
Torre  Diaz  and  some  other 
Catholic  gentlemen  bought  land 
for  church  and  schools  in  Homer 
Row,  Marylebone  Road.  After  six 
years,  the  church  was  opened  in 
Winchester  Row,  New  Road,  after 
wards  called  the  Marylebone  Road. 


274 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


The  building  was  blessed  by 
Cardinal  Wiseman  August  9,  1855. 
The  Catholic  population  of  the 
district  at  this  time  was  reckoned 
at  2,500.  For  several  years  a 
portion  of  the  edifice  was  used  as  a 
school.  The  church,  designed  by 
Blount,  was  enlarged  in  1870. 

Priests. 
Eev.  J.  Bamber,  1855. 

„     W.  J.  Fielding,  1856. 

„  Alfred  White,  I860  (?). 
In  1884  Fr.  White  was  made 
rector  of  the  church  at  Brook 
Green,  Hammersmith,  and  subse 
quently  was  created  a  canon  of 
Westminster  and  alderman  of  the 
borough.  He  died  in  1904.  His 
successor  at  Marylebone,  the  Very 
Rev.  John  Canon  Brennan,  still 
holds  the  incumbency. 


MARY  VALE,  near  BIRMINGHAM. 

St.  Mary's. 

The  mission  was  founded  about 
1675  by  Fr.  Andrew  Bromwich, 
+he  last  priest  sentenced  to  death 
for  the  Faith  in  England.  In  1794, 
St.  Mary's  College,  Oscott,  was 
founded  in  the  old  house  at  Mary- 
vale  built  by  Bishop  Hornyold  as  a 
residence  for  the  Vicars  Apostolic 
of  the  Midlands.  After  the 
transference  of  the  college  to  the 
new  building  in  1838  the  house 
was  occupied  by  Fr.  John  Henry 
(Cardinal)  Newman  and  Fr.  Faber, 
who  called  the  place  '  Maryvale ' 
to  distinguish  it  from  New  Oscott. 
In  1850,  the  Sisters  of  Mercy  opened 
their  orphanage  within  its  walls. 
The  chapel  was  built  in  1816  by 
Bishop  Milner,  who  placed  in  it  a 
painted  window  of  the  Sacred 
Heart.  In  1873,  the  Sisters  es 
tablished  the  Association  of  the 
Perpetual  Lamp  in  honour  of  the 


Sacred  Heart,  and  the  jubilee  of 
the  devotion  was  celebrated  in 
February  1898. 


MAR YPORT,  CUMBERLAND  (Hex- 
ham  and  Newcastle).  Our  Lady 
and  St.  Patrick. 

The  mission  was  commenced  in 
1838,  and  the  church  built  1844-45 
at  a  cost  of  £1,400.  The  number 
of  Catholics  then  was  about  300. 
The  dedication  of  the  church  was 
celebrated  with  great  solemnity  in 
May  1846,  when  Bishop  Br'iggs 
preached  at  the  High  Mass.  On 
Sunday,  February  4,  1882,  the 
church  was  reopened  after  having 
undergone  an  enlargement  of  some 
15  ft.  in  order  to  accommodate 
the  increased  congregation  that 
had  arisen  owing  to  the  commence 
ment  of  the  new  docks.  Fr.  J.  J. 
Cummins,  O.S.B.,  the  incumbent, 
acted  as  architect.  Fr.  Murphy 
during  his  rectorate  greatly  adorned 
the  church,  and  introduced  several 
improvements.  In  1889,  the 
Catholic  population  of  Maryport 
was  1,700.  In  January  of  1889, 
the  jubilee  of  the  mission  was 
celebrated  by  Fr.  J.  Cummins, 
O.S.B.,  the  then  incumbent.  A 
new  Lady  Altar  was  erected  in 
memory  of  the  event. 


MATLOCK,  DERBYSHIRE  (Not 
tingham).  Our  Lady  and  St. 
Joseph. 

On  May  2,  1880,  Mass  was  said 
in  a  house  in  Holt  Lane  and  the 
same  year  a  church  site  was  ac 
quired  by  Canon  McKenria,  V.G. 
The  church,  in  the  Gothic  style, 
was  opened  in  July  1883 ;  seating 
capacity  for  about  200.  In  the 
church  there  is  a  chapel  dedicated 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


275 


to  St.  Dismas,  '  the  good  thief,' 
whose  cultus  was  popular  in  early 
Christian  times.  For  some  years 
after  the  opening,  the  church  was 
served  from  St.  Mary's,  Derby. 
The  first  resident  priest  was  ap 
pointed  in  1890. 

Priests. 

Kev.  Kobert  Browne,  1890. 
„    Thomas  Parkinson,  1892. 

(Served  from  Tideswell  1894.) 
„    George  Le  Eoy,  here  in  1897 
and  to  date. 


MAWDESLEY,  ORMSKIRK, 
LANGS  (Liverpool).  SS.  Peter  and 
Paul. 

The  Finch  family  of  Mawdesley 
were  great  sufferers  for  the 
Catholic  Faith,  one  of  them,  John 
Finch,  being  executed  at  Lancaster, 
April  20,  1584,  for  affirming  '  that 
the  Pope  hath  power  or  jurisdic 
tion  in  the  Kingdom  of  England.' 
Another  of  the  family,  the  Eev. 
James  Finch,  was  prior  of  a  Car 
thusian  monastery  in  Austria. 
After  its  suppression  by  Joseph  II., 
he  came  to  England,  and  died  at 
Fernyhalgh,  March  3,  1821,  aged 
seventy-two.  The  old  mansion  at 
Mawdesley  contains  many  hiding- 
places,  and,  among  other  relics  of  the 
past,  the  skull  of  William  Haydock, 
of  Whalley  Abbey,  martyred  1537. 
The  actual  mission  was  established 
1831,  when  the  church  was  built 
and  opened  by  Bishop  Penswick, 
V  .A. 

Eectors. 
Eev.  J.  Lawson,  1831. 

„    J.    Dawber,    1843    till    after 
1864. 

„    Jn.  Hardman,  1871. 

„    Jn.  Nixon,  1874. 

„    John  Irish,  1885. 

„    Jules  Maurus,  1902  to  date. 


MAWLEY,  SHROPSHIRE  (Shreivs- 
bury}.     St.  Mary. 

An  entry  in  the  missal  used  at 
Mawley  states  that  the  chapel  was 
blessed  by  Bishop  Thomas  Talbot 
October    31,    1776.       Before    this 
time,    Mass   was    said   secretly  at 
the  top  of  Mawley  Hall,  the  resi 
dence  of  the  Blounts.     The  chapel, 
opened  in  1776,  was  for  some  time 
called  the  '  servants'  hall '  to  hide 
its  real  purpose.     It  was  enlarged 
in  1825  and  1850.     The  centenary 
of     the     chapel     was     celebrated 
November  7,  1876.     The  priests  at 
Mawley  from  1763  were : 
Eev.  James  Chester. 
„    Jn.  Manning. 
„    E.  Gibson,  1784. 
„    Menard,  Dodomb,  Broderick, 

1800. 

„    J.  Appleton,  1801. 
„    Pierre  Chardon,  1805. 
Jos.  Bowden,  1806. 
Denis  Fortin,  1807. 
Ch.  Blake,  1813. 
W.  Jones,  1815. 
T.  Percy,  1824. 

E.  Gates,  1825. 
P.  Vergy,  1826. 
J.  Egan,  1829. 
B.  Crosbie,  1830. 
Mgr.  Hulme,  1843. 
J.  Spencer,  1847. 
L.  Acquaoni,  1848. 
T.  Green,  1849. 
W.  Molloy,  1859. 
Pat.  Power,  1860. 
J.  Quin,  1864. 

H.  Lynch,  1865. 
T.  Crowther,  1870. 
T.  Donovan,  1875. 
J.  Millward,  1876. 
T.  Eatcliffe,  1877. 
D.  Williams,  1881. 
J.  Hackett,  1883. 
D.  Fitzgerald,  1885. 
H.  Gregson,  1887. 

F.  de  Vos,  1895. 
J.  McGrath,  1898. 

T  2 


276 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


Bev.  G.  de  Stoop,  1900. 
„    A,  Devine,  1900. 


MEASHAM,    DERBYSHIRE     (St. 

Charles  Borromeo). 

The  chapel,  erected  by  the 
Countess  of  Loudoun,  was  opened 
in  December  1881.  The  interior 
is  adorned  by  an  altar  of  Caen 
stone  and  several  painted  windows. 
Mr.  C.  Wray  was  the  architect. 

Bev.  Hubert  de  Burgh,  1885. 
„    Joseph  Fagan,  1888. 
„    W.  J.  Otty,  1893  and  to  date. 


MELBOURNE,  DERBYSHIRE 

(Nottingham). 

On  Sunday,  May  6,  1906,  Mass 
was  said  here  for  the  first  time 
since  the  Reformation.  A  disused 
laundry  serves  for  a  chapel  at 
present,  and,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
opening,  a  large  congregation  at 
tended.  Lord  Walter  Kerr  is  the 
patron  of  the  mission,  which  is 
under  the  care  of  Fr.  Francis 
Bichmond. 


MELIOR  STREET,  BOROUGH, 
LONDON,  S.E.  (Southward).  Our 
Lady  of  La  Salette  and  St.  Joseph. 

This  mission  originated  in  1847, 
when  Fr.  Bobert  Hodgson  hired 
an  old  coach-house  and  said  Mass 
there  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor 
Catholics  of  the  place.  Such 
crowds  flocked  there  on  Sundays, 
that  Fr.  Hodgson  had  to  rent  from 
Guy's  Hospital  an  old  dissecting 
room  in  AVebb  Street,  Borough. 
After  clearing  away  'nearly  two 
cartloads  of  human  bones  '  and  dis 


lodging  legions  of  rats,  Fr.  Hodg 
son  turned  the  upper  portion  of  the 
building  into  a  chapel  and  the 
lower  part  into  a  school.  Bishop 
Wiseman  attended  the  opening  of 
this  poor  place  of  worship  in  1848. 
Within  three  months,  4,000  persons 
went  to  Holy  Communion.  The 
mission  being  firmly  established, 
Fr.  Wenham  and  Fr.  McMullen 
were  appointed  to  carry  on  the 
work.  The  first  mention  of  the 
mission  in  the  '  Catholic  Directory  ' 
appears  in  1858,  when  the  resident 
clergy  were  the  Bev.  F.  Lawrence 
and  the  Bev.  S.  McDaniel. 
The  humble  chapel,  which  could 
barely  accommodate  one-fifth  of  the 
congregation,  was  replaced  by  the 
present  Gothic  church,  opened 
May  2,  1861.  A  large  portion  of 
the  once  very  considerable  Ca 
tholic  resident  population  has  left 
the  district,  owing  to  the  pulling 
down  of  whole  streets  and  courts 
to  make  way  for  huge  warehouses 
and  railway  offices.  The  present 
rector  of  the  mission  is  Fr,  S. 
Buckley. 


MELTON  MOWBRAY,  LEICESTER 
SHIRE  (Nottingham).  St.  John 
the  Baptist. 

The  foundation  of  this  mission 
is  chiefly  due  to  two  generous 
benefactors,  Fr.  Thos.  P.  Tempest 
and  John  Exton,  Esq.  The  chapel 
was  commenced  1840,  and  opened 
1842  by  Bishop  Walsh,  V.A.  For 
some  time  after  the  opening,  the 
priest  had  to  live  at  two  miles' 
distance,  but  by  1844  a  presbytery 
was  provided.  At  the  outset  a 
considerable  amount  of  protestant 
opposition  was  aroused  by  the 
notorious  '  no  Popery '  lecturer 
Dr.  Gumming,  but  the  ill-will  soon 
subsided.  A  small  school  was 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


277 


started  in  1843.  The  mission  was 
served  from  Eastwell  some  time 
prior  to  1875,  and  in  1898  from 
the  Nottingham  seminary. 

Priests. 
Kev.  A.  McDermott,  1843. 

„    E.  Belisy,  1845. 

,,    Andrew  Eagan,  1849. 

„    Geo.  Bent,  1850. 

„    Jeremiah     Donovan,      D.D., 
1857. 

„    J.  Birmingham,  1860  (?). 

„    Geo.  Newton,  1871. 

„    Kev.  H.  Swale,  1874. 

„    A.  Pol,  1877. 

„    E.  Van  Dale,  1879. 

„    J.  Neligan,  1882. 

„    T.  O'Reilly,  1885. 

„    C.  Holland,  1898. 

„    G.  W.  Hendriks,  1903. 


MIDDLESBROUGH,  YORKS.  St. 
Mary. 

In  1825  there  was  but  one  farm 
house  on  the  spot  now  covered 
by  a  large  city.  In  1857,  the 
Catholic  population  in  and  around 
Middlesbrough  was  1,500.  The 
old  church  of  St.  Mary  was  opened 
by  Bishop  Briggs,  V.A.,  October 
1847,  and  the  church  was  enlarged 
(February-March  1866)  'to  meet 
the  wants  of  the  rapidly  increasing 
mission.'  The  present  fine  cathe 
dral  was  opened  in  August  1878  on 
the  site  of  the  old  building.  In 
December  following,  it  became  the 
cathedral  of  the  newly  erected  dio 
cese  of  Middlesbrough.  A  fine 
altar-piece  of  the  Madonna  and 
Child,  by  Cottignola  (died  1528), 
was  presented  to  the  church  by 
H.  W.  Bolckow,  Esq.  Mr.  Goldie 
was  the  architect. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Bernard  Branigan,  1847. 

„    Jos.  McPhillips,  1849. 

,,    Andrew  Burns,  1854. 


Rev.  Richard  Lacy,  1874. 

In  1878  Middlesbrough  became 
the  see  of  the  new  diocese  which, 
with  Leeds,  was  formed  out  of 
Beverley,  and  from  that  time  the 
bishops  have  been  the  ex-officio 
rectors  of  St.  Mary's. 


MIDDLETON,  LANCS  (Salford). 
St.  Peter,  Taylor  Street. 

The  school  chapel  was  opened  in 
1867,  at  which  time  the  Catholic 
population  numbered  400.  Fr.  E. 
Goetgeluck  was  the  first  priest 
placed  in  charge  of  the  mission. 
He  was  rector  here  till  after  1875. 
Fr.  J.  Wigman,  appointed  prior  to 
1883,  is  still  the  incumbent  (1904). 


MIDDLEWICH,      CHESHIRE 

(Shreivsbiiry).     St.  Mary. 

About  1847,  Mass  was  said  at 
Winsford  Hall,  the  residence  of  the 
Waltington  family,  by  Canon  Carter, 
of  Bolton.  The  Waltingtons  subse 
quently  left  the  Hall,  and  then 
Mass  was  said  in  a  cottage  belong 
ing  to  a  family  named  McDonald 
by  Frs.  Pope,  Foster,  Waltington, 
Doyle,  Alcock,  Gibbons,  Power,  and 
Fennelly.  In  August  1865,  a  dis 
senting  chapel  was  purchased  by 
Fr.  Fennelly  and  fitted  up  for 
Catholic  worship.  The  building 
was  enlarged  1869.  The  present 
church,  designed  by  E.  Kirby,  was 
opened  May  31, 1891.  The  Catholic 
population  in  1903  was  300. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Jn.  Moore,  1866. 

„     Chas.  Coelenbier,  1872. 

„     Aug.  Tremmery,  1876. 

„     Denis  Cregan,  1883. 

„     Jas.  O'Grady,  1891. 

„     Jn.  Ryan,  1898. 


278 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


MIDHUKST,       SUSSEX      (Soutli- 
^va^Jf).     St.  Francis. 

Cowdray  House,  near  Midliurst, 
was  formerly  the  seat  of  the  Catho 
lic  Lords  Montague.     During   the 
reign    of    Elizabeth     upwards     of 
sixty  priests  are  said  to  have  been 
sheltered  here.      In  1625,  the  Lord 
Montague    of    the    day     gave    St. 
Cuthbert's   ring   to  Bishop  Smith, 
V.A.,    who    bequeathed   it    to   the 
English  nuns  at  Paris,  from  whom 
Cardinal     Wiseman     obtained     it 
for    Ushaw    College    (1858).     The 
seventh    Lord    Montague       '  con 
formed  to  the  Established  Church  ' 
1778,    but    was  reconciled   on   his 
death-bed,  declaring  that  '  libertin 
ism   in   theory  and   practice '  had 
alone  seduced  him  away.     George, 
the    next   and  last   Viscount,  was 
drowned    at    Schaffhausen,    Swit 
zerland,  1793,  on  the  very  day  that 
Cowdray  House  was  destroyed  by 
fire.       After    this    a    chapel    was 
opened  in  the  adjoining  village  of 
Midhurst,    and    used  by    the    few 
local    Catholics   till    1861.     Unfor 
tunately,  for  some  reason,  the  lease 
was  not  renewed,  and  the  building 
ultimately    became    a    club.      We 
have  been  informed  that   the  pis 
cina,  in   what   was  the  sanctuary, 
is  now  used  as  a  receptacle  for  bil 
liard  balls.      The   present    church 
was  opened,  November  7,  1869,  by 
Bishop  Brown,  of  Newport,  on  be 
half  of  Bishop  Grant.      The  style 
is  Early  English;   C.  A.  Buckler, 
architect.     For  several  years  after 
the  opening,  the  church  was  served 
from   Burton  Park.     Confirmation 
was  given  here  in  December  1888 
for  the  first  time  in  fifty  years. 
Some  Priests  of  the  Cowdroy 

Mission. 
Eev.   Dom    Edward  Ash,   O.S.B., 

1630. 
,,     J.  Sheppard,  1745. 


Kev.  J.  Barnard    (V.G.   to    Bishop 
Talbot,  V.A.L.D.),  1762. 

„     J.  Blevin,  1767. 

„  Richard  Antrobus,  1779. 
(This  priest  recommenced 
the  registers.) 

Priests  at  Midliurst  since  1824. 
Rev.  Geo.  Halsey. 

„     Thos.  Molteno,  1834. 

,,     Francis  Bowland,  1840. 

„     Peter  Coop,  1857. 

(Mission  closed  1860-69.  Mis 
sion  served  from  Burton  Park 
1869-79.) 

„  Mgr.  James  Carter,  1879  to 
date. 


MILE  END,  LONDON,  E.  (West 
minster}.  The  Guardian  Angels. 

A  dissenting  meeting  -  house 
known  as  '  Salem  Chapel '  was 
purchased  and  converted  into  a 
Catholic  church  about  1870.  The 
'  bare  and  comfortless  '  interior  was 
decorated  and  adorned  with  sta 
tions  of  the  Cross  in  the  autumn 
of  1876.  In  May  1901,  the  old 
church  was  pulled  down  to  make 
way  for  the  present  structure,  the 
gift  of  the  Lady  Mary  Howard. 
The  style  is  Perpendicular  Gothic. 
During  the  rebuilding  of  the 
church  a  temporary  structure, 
No.  381  Mile  End  Road,  served  as 
a  chapel.  The  cost  of  the  church 
was  £11,000. 


MILLFIELD,  DURHAM  (Hexham 
and  Newcastle).  St.  Joseph's. 

A  recently  established  mission. 
The  first  stone  of  the  new  church 
was  laid  July  23,  1906,  by  Bishop 
Collins.  The  design  is  Romanesque, 
the  materials  used  being  blocks 
of  concrete.  Accommodation  for 
about  700.  Cost  £3,000. 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


279 


MILL  HILL,  LONDON,  N.W. 
(  Westminster). 

St.  Mary's  Franciscan  Abbey 
was  opened  by  Cardinal  Manning 
about  1887,  and  the  church  in  Octo 
ber  1889.  The  style  is  simple 
Gothic.  On  either  side  of  the  high 
altar  are  chapels  of  St.  Joseph  and 
Our  Lady.  The  seating  capacity  is 
for  '200. 


MILLOM,  CUMBERLAND  (Hex- 
ham  and  Newcastle).  Our  Lady 
and  St.  James. 

The  chapel  was  opened  in  1867, 
and  enlarged  in  October  1881.  The 
same  year  the  Catholic  schools 
were  sanctioned  by  the  Education 
Department  after  much  local  op 
position.  The  church  was  built 
between  May  1886  and  the  early 
part  of  1887.  A  great  procession 
of  clergy  and  people,  headed  by  Fr. 
Perrin,  priest  of  the  mission,  in 
augurated  the  ceremony  of  laying 
the  foundation  stone.  The  church 
is  a  very  handsome  one,  in  old 
French  Gothic,  from  the  design  of 
H.  V.  Krolow,  of  Liverpool.  Mil- 
lom  was  once  the  seat  of  the  Neville 
family,  and,  by  an  heiress,  passed 
to  the  Huddlestones,  also  staunch 
Catholics.  Fr.  Huddlestone,  of  this 
family,  reconciled  Charles  II.  to  the 
Church  on  his  death -bed  in  Feb 
ruary  1685. 


MILLWALL,  ISLE  OF  DOGS, 
LONDON,  E.  (Westminster}.  St. 
Edmund. 

The  church  in  the  West  Ferry 
Road  was  opened  in  1846.  It  is 
described  as '  a  neat  Gothic  building, 
consisting  of  a  nave  and  chancel.' 
It  is  lighted  by  six  lancet  windows, 
'  deeply  splayed.'  Mr.  Wardell  was 


the    architect.      For    many   years 
after  its  erection,  the  mission  was 
served  from  the  church  of  Our  Lady 
and    St.   Joseph,    Poplar.     Schools 
were  opened  1870.     Average  daily 
attendance  1899,  270. 
Priests. 
Rev.  Joseph  Biemans,  here  in  1871. 

Geo.  Smith,  1877. 

Wm.  Lloyd,  1879. 

Nicholas  Drew,  1882. 

Emile  Van  Dale,  1892. 

A.  J.  Egglemeers,  here  in  1897. 

Thos.  Dunphy,  1897. 

Bartholomew  Doherty,  1904. 


MINEHEAD,       SOMERSETSHIRE 

I    (Clifton).     The  Sacred  Heart. 

The    temporary   chapel   in   Sal- 
'•    borne  Place  was  opened  in  Decem 
ber  1890,  by  Bishop  Brownlow,  of 
Clifton.     Fr.  Wilberforce  preached 
1    (Cor.  iv.  1-6)  on  the  unity  of  the 
Church.    The  present  church,  in  the 
Gothic    style,   was  opened   August 
1898. 

Priests. 
I   Rev.  J.  Davis,  1890. 

„     Richard   Chichester,    here    in 
1897  and  to  date. 


MINISTERACRES,  NORTHUM 
BERLAND  (Hexham  and  New 
castle).  St.  Elizabeth. 

A  chapel  was  opened  here  in  1766 
by  John  Silvertop,  Esq.,  the  lord 
of  the  manor.  A  more  public  one 
seems  to  have  been  established  in 
1790.  This  latter  continued  in  use 
down  to  1834,  when '  a  new  Catholic 
chapel '  was  built  by  Geo.  Silvertop, 
Esq.,  and  '  opened  by  a  solemn 
Mass  June  22  of  the  same  year. 
On  the  death  of  this  gentleman, 
February  20,  1849,  without  issue, 
j  he  was  succeeded  by  his  nephew, 


280 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


the  Hon.  Charles  Engle  field,  who 
took  the  name  of  Silvertop.  The 
new  Lord  of  Ministeracres  proved 
himself  a  munificent  patron  of  the 
mission,  the  present  fine  Gothic 
church,  designed  by  J.  Hansom 
and  opened  August  24,  1854,  being 
erected  at  his  expense.  The  regis 
ters  of  the  mission  date  from  1795. 

Priests  since  1820. 
Kev.  T.  Douthwaite,  — . 

T.  Danson,  1838. 

Edw.  Browne,  1839. 

J.  S.  Bogerson,  1843. 

E.  Orrell,  1854. 

Joseph  Watson,  1856. 

Lawrence  Boland,  1866. 

Peter  Perrin,  1876. 

Michael  Birgen,  1882. 

Edmund  Barnett,  1891. 

M.  P.  Horgan,  1897  to  date. 


MINSTER,  ISLE  OF  THANET, 
KENT  (Soutkwark).  St.  Mildred. 

The  Catholic  faith  was  strong 
here  down  to  the  time  of  Charles  I. 
During  the  Civil  War,  Cromwell 
sent  down  '  a  religious  enthusiast,' 
who,  after  making  most  of  the 
population  '  drunk  with  new  wine,' 
persuaded  them  to  pull  down  the 
ancient  cross  that  stood  in  the 
market-place.  The  poor  people 
were  so  ashamed  of  this  act  that 
when  they  came  to  their  senses 
they  emigrated  en  masse  to  Bel 
gium  as  the  only  means  of  pre 
serving  their  holy  religion.  In 
the  vicarage  of  Minster  were  long 
preserved  a  number  of  Catholic 
books,  the  property,  no  doubt,  of 
some  priests  who  officiated  there 
before  the  Civil  War.  Among  these 
was  a  complete  copy  of  Cornelius 
a  Lapide's  '  Commentary  on  the 
Scriptures  '  (Lewis's  '  History  of 
Thanct ').  In  August  1878,  a  com 
munity  of  Benedictine  nuns  was 


established  at  Minster  by  Prior 
Bergh,of  St.  Augustine's,  Ilamsgatc. 
They  continued  to  occupy  the 
convent  till  about  1891,  when  they 
were  supplanted  by  the  Sisters  of 
Mercy,  who  have  a  laundry  for  the 
maintenance  of  a  number  of  poor 
girls  whom  they  supervise.  The 
chapel,  a  plain  cruciform  Gothic 
structure,  was  consecrated  by 
Bishop  Bourne,  of  Southwark,  in 
July  1901.  The  patron  saint  of 
the  convent  is  St.  Mildred,  Abbess 
of  Minster,  who  died  A.D.  725. 


MITCH  AM,  SURREY  (SoutliwarJt). 
SS.  Peter  and  Paul. 

Mass  is  said  to  have  been  occa 
sionally  offered  up  during  the  penal 
times  in  a  house  in  Church 
Lane  (Eoad).  The  Hon.  C.  Lang- 
dale,  whose  distillery  on  Hoi  born 
Hill  was  burnt  by  the  Gordon 
rioters,  June  1780,  owned  EJm- 
wood  House,  Mitcham.  His 
domestic  chapel  here  was  long 
served  by  the  Abbe  L.  Le  Grip,  an 
emigre,  who  died  November  6, 
1819.  After  this  the  place  was 
served  from  Croydon.  About  1839, 
Fr.  O'Moore,  of  Croydon,  used  to 
say  Mass  occasionally  in  a  house 
of  a  Mr.  Kiernan,  a  pawnbroker. 
In  1853  a  disused  stable  belonging 
to  W.  Simpson,  Esq.,  was  fitted  up 
as  a  chapel.  It  was  served  by  Frs. 
David  Morel  and  other  priests 
from  Croydon  and  Norwood.  The 
school  chapel  was  opened  in  1862 
on  a  site  presented  by  W.  Simpson, 
Esq.  Fr.  Kobt.  Simpson,  M.A., 
formerly  Anglican  rector  of  the 
parish  church,  was  priest-in-charge 
for  a  few  months.  Fr.  F.  Whyte 
served  the  mission  from  1865  till 
1879.  The  present  church,  erected 
in  1889  on  a  site  given  by  W. 
Simpson,  Esq.,  is  a  neat  structure 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


281 


in  the  Romanesque  style.  A 
stained-glass  window  and  pulpit 
were  presented  by  G.  Teniple- 
Layton,  Esq.  The  seating  capacity 
of  the  church  is  for  about  250. 
The  congregation  numbers  about 
600.  Fr.  J.  Pooley  is  the  present 
rector. 


MOLESEY,  SURREY  (South- 
war  k). 

This  mission  was  founded 
through  the  efforts  of  Fr.  E.  du 
Plerney,  of  Surbiton.  A  house 
bearing  the  somewhat  appropriate 
name  of  '  Stonyhurst,'  in  the  Vine 
Road,  was  acquired  for  the  pur 
pose  of  a  mission  centre,  and  Mass 
said  here  for  the  first  time  in 
September  1905.  The  chapel  was 
at  first  served  every  Sunday  from 
Surbiton.  Catholics  of  the  district 
are  estimated  at  about  250.  Rev. 
H.  Willacrt,  rector  Sept.  1906. 


MONMOUTH  (Newport).  St. 
Mary's. 

Fr.  William  Dormer  was  at  the 
'  Priory,'  Monmouth,  about  1730-32 
as  priest  of  the  mission.  He  died 
at  Staplehill  in  June  1758.  In 
1737  Fr.  Robt.  Garbott  was 
chaplain.  The  present  chapel  was 
built  in  1795,  at  which  time  the 
Catholics  of  the  place  numbered 
about  120.  In  1845,  the  congre 
gation  numbered  about  200.  Four 
years  later,  Catholics  were  esti 
mated  at  300.  A  new  chapel  was 
opened  1837.  In  1864,  the  Catholic 
population  was  350. 

Priests  since  1824. 
Rev.  J.  Jones. 

„    T.  Burgess,  1836. 

„    T.  Abbot,  1852. 

„    James  Moore,  1895. 

„    Sidney  Nicholls,  1897  to  date. 


MONKWEARMOUTH,      DURHAM 

(Hcxhani     and     Newcastle}.      St. 
Benet. 

The  mission  was  established  in 
1864.  The  present  church  was 
consecrated  in  July  1889  by 
Bishop  Wilkinson,  upon  which 
occasion  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
was  carried  in  procession  amidst 
a  vast  concourse  of  Catholics  and 
protestants.  The  style  of  the 
church  is  Early  Decorated  ;  accom 
modation  for  about  800.  New 
schools,  of  Gothic  design,  were 
opened  September  1870. 

Priests. 
Rev.  D.  Macartney,  1867. 

„    Jules  Du  Floer,  here  in  1871 
and  till  1897. 

„    Henry  Canon  Gillow,  1897. 


MOORFIELDS,    LONDON,    E.G. 

(Westminster'}.    St.  Mary's. 

In  1736— some  say  1733 — there 
existed  a  Mass-house  in  this  neigh 
bourhood,  which  for  security's  sake 
was  known  as  the  '  Penny  Hotel.' 
This  place  of  worship  was  in  Rope- 
makers'  Alley.  During  the  re 
newed  persecution  of  London 
Catholics  in  1765,  '  two  Romish 
priests  were  taken  out  of  a  private 
Mass-house  near  Moorfields  to  be 
dealt  with  according  to  law  ' 
('  Universal  Museum,'  October  21, 
1765).  During  the  Gordon  riots 
of  1780,  the  chapel  or  Mass-house 
was  among  the  number  destroyed 
by  the  mob.  Fr.  Richard  Dillon, 
who  had  been  priest  of  the  place 
since  1749,  was  so  severely  mal 
treated  by  the  rioters  that  he 
shortly  afterwards  died.  With  the 
money  obtained  from  Government 
in  compensation,  another  and 
larger  chapel  was  erected  in  White 
Street  1781.  This  continued  in 
use  till  the  building  of  the  large 


282 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


and  imposing  church,  opened  with 
great  pomp  April  20,  1820,  in  the 
presence  of  a  large  gathering  of 
ambassadors,  nobility,  and  gentry. 
By  this  time  the  congregation  was 
reckoned  at  over  6,000.  The  style 
of  the  building  was  Classical,  with 
a  Greek  fa<;ade,  the  interior  being 
remarkable  for  a  large  picture  of 
the  Crucifixion,  painted  on  stucco 
by  Signor  Aglio,  and  arranged  as  a 
background  to  the  high  altar.  The 
architect  of  the  church  was  Mr. 
John  Newman ;  total  cost  of  erection, 
£26,000.  Pope  Pius  VII.  presented 
a  splendid  gold  chalice,  paten,  and 
cruets  to  the  church  on  the  occasion 
of  the  opening,  the  gift  being 
valued  at  10,000  Roman  crowns. 
The  vaults  beneath  the  church 
were  a  favourite  burial-place  with 
London  Catholics  till  1853,  when 
they  were  closed.  On  the  demoli 
tion  of  the  church,  upwards  of 
5,000  coffins  were  reinterred  at 
Wembley,  but  the  remains  of 
Bishops  Poynter,  Bramston,  and 
Gradwell  were  removed  to  St. 
Edmund's  Old  Hall.  It  was  at 
St.  Mary's  that  Dr.  (afterwards 
Cardinal)  Wiseman  delivered  his 
famous  lectures  on  '  The  Truths 
of  the  Catholic  Faith '  to  crowds 
of  persons  during  the  course  of 
1836.  Owing  to  a  variety  of  cir 
cumstances,  it  was  found  necessary 
to  close  the  old  church,  which  was 
demolished  during  November  and 
December  1899.  A  smaller  edifice 
was  opened  in  the  adjoining  Eldon 
Street  March  25,  1903,  in  which 
most  of  the  features  of  the  former 
imposing  building  have  been  re 
produced. 

Priests. 

Rev.  R.  Dillon,  1749-81. 
„    Fuller,  1781. 
„    Bernard,  — . 
,,    Dunn,  — . 


Rev.  Joseph   Hunt,   here    1816   et 

seq. 

R.  Horrabin,  1839-41. 
Jn.  Rolfe,  1841. 
Provost  Robt.  Whitty,  1851. 
Mgr.  Daniel  Gilbert,  1858. 
Win.  Canon  Fleming,  1895  to 
date. 


MORECAMBE,  LANCS  (Liverpool). 
St.  Mary. 

Mission  started  from  Lancaster 
1895. 

Priests. 
Rev.  John  Smith,  1897. 

„    Chas.  Reynolds,  1901  to  date. 


MORLEY,  YORKS  (Leeds).  St. 
Francis  of  Assisi,  Westfield  Road. 

The  Oddfellows'  Hall  was  hired 
as  a  Catholic  place  of  worship,  and 
Masses  said  here  for  the  first  time 
Sunday,  May  15,  1898,  by  Fr.  John 
Brennan,  chaplain  to  the  Marquis 
of  Ripon,  and  Fr.  Dobson,  of 
Batley.  Fr.  Augustus,  O.S.F.C., 
preached*  in  the  evening  to  a 
crowded  congregation.  Fr.  Francis 
Mitchell  is  the  present  rector. 


MORPETH,    NORTHUMBERLAND 

(Hexham     and     Newcastle).       St. 
Robert. 

In  1768  a  room  in  a  tenement 
building  in  Bowlers'  Green  was 
fitted  up  as  a  chapel.  Mr.  Hy. 
Clark,  a  convert,  used  to  keep 
watch  while  Mass  was  being  said 
to  give  warning  to  the  congregation 
if  strangers  approached.  Shortly 
after  this,  the  chapel  of  St.  Bede 
was  erected  in  Oldgate  (1778).  Fr. 
How  was  the  first  priest.  His  suc 
cessor,  Fr.  Turner,  was  a  practical 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


chemist,  and  added  to  his  income 
by  supplying  the  local  gentry  with 
soda-water!  He  died  1802.  The 
next  priests  were  Fr.  Lawson  (1802- 
29) ;  Fr.  Shann  and  Fr.  H.  Flinn 
(1830  and  1834);  Fr.  Geo.  Lowe, 
O.S.B.  (1837).  By  this  time  the 
old  chapel  had  become  quite  inade 
quate,  and  in  1849  '  a  neat  and 
commodious  church '  in  the  Early 
English  style  was  erected.  The 
opening  ceremony  was  regarded 
with  much  friendly  sympathy  in 
the  town.  Mr.  T.  Gibson  was  the 
architect.  In  1850,  the  presbytery 
and  church  were  renamed  St. 
Robert's  Abbey  in  consideration  of  j 
the  Benedictines,  by  whom  the  i 
mission  has  since  been  attended. 


MORTLAKE,        LONDON,        S.W. 

(Southward).     St.  Mary  Magdalen,    j 
For  some  time  prior  to  the  erec-    j 
tion  of  the  present  church,  a  disused 
hayloft   at   the  residence   of   Lady    i 
Mostyn  served  as  a  chapel  for  Mass.    > 
About  1849,  Fr.  Eobt.  Hodgson,  of 
Richmond,  came  to  Mortlake,  sought 
out  numbers    of   lapsed   Catholics, 
and  opened  a  school,  where  '  he  said 
Mass,   preached,    and    heard    con 
fessions.'     He  was   nobly  aided  in 
his   labours   by   Lady    Mostyn,    to 
whom  is  largely  due  the  fine  church 
of     St.     Mary    Magdalen,    opened 
May  12,  1852.     The  style  is  Deco 
rated  Gothic,  from  designs  by  Gil 
bert    Blount,    Esq.       The    priests' 
residence  was  at  first  a  mere  cot 
tage,    but   a   good   presbytery  was 
built  not  long  after  the  opening  of 
the  church.     Adjoining  the  mission 
is  a  cemetery.     A  tablet  on  one  of 
the  walls  of  the  nave  records  the 
reception  into  the  Church  of  Lieut,    i 
Augustus  H.  Law,  R.N.,  afterwards    I 
the   well-known    Jesuit   missioner.    i 
The  church  was  consecrated  1869. 


Canon  Wenham,  Provost  of  South- 
wark,  was  priest  of  Mortlake  from 
1851  till  his  death  in  March  1895. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Fr.  C.  Hogan, 
the  present  incumbent. 


MORTOMLEY,  near  SHEFFIELD, 
YORKS  (Leeds). 

The  mission  was  opened  1888, 
there  being  at  this  time  a  consider 
able  Catholic  population  in  the 
neighbourhood.  Fr.  W.  J.  Smith 
was  the  first  priest.  After  his  de 
parture,  1892,  the  chapel  was  served 
from  Elsecar  till  1897,  when  Fr. 
A.  McDonagh  was  appointed.  Fr. 
Julius  de  Baere  has  been  incumbent 
since  1899. 


MOSSLEY,  LANGS  (Sal ford).  St. 
Joseph's. 

In  1863  the  Ca.tholics  of  this  dis 
trict  are  described  as  'numerous 
and  poor.'  Thanks  to  the  efforts 
of  Frs.  Conway  and  Grymonprez, 
schools  were  erected  in  the  last- 
named  year.  For  several  years 
after  the  opening,  the  building  was 
used  also  as  a  chapel.  In  1864  the 
congregation  was  reckoned  at  700. 

Recent  Priests. 
Rev.  P.  Cardinael,  here  in  1871. 

„    Jn.  Kass,  1879. 

„    Jas.  Brady,  1888  and  to  date. 


MOTTINGHAM,  near  ELTHAM, 
KENT  (Southward). 

An  old  mansion,  known  as  Mot- 
tingham  House,  was  opened  as  a  pre 
paratory  college  for  military  educa 
tion  (Woolwich  and  Sandhurst)  in 
1883  by  the  Rev.  E.  Von  Orsbach, 
late  tutor  to  the  Princes  of  Thurn 
and  Taxis.  After  a  successful 


284 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


career,  the  school  was  acquired  by 
the  diocese  of  Southwark  as  an 
orphanage  for  little  boys  under  the 
care  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  (1903). 
A  large  stable-house  adjoining  the 
establishment  has  been  altered  and 
fitted  up  as  a  chapel  for  the  use  of 
the  inmates  and  the  Catholics  of 
the  district.  For  some  time  after 
the  opening  the  place  was  attended 
by  a  priest  from  Sidcup.  The  Rev. 
G.  Leidig  is  the  present  rector 
(January  1906). 


MOUNT  ST.  BERNARD'S  ABBEY, 
COALVILLE,  near  LEICESTER  (Not 
tingham). 

This  abbey  is  a  filiation  from 
Mount  Melleray,  Waterford,  and 
was  founded  1837  by  the  assistance 
of  Ambrose  Phillipps-De-Lisle,  Esq., 


of  Grace  Dieu  Manor,  Leicester 
shire,  and  John  sixteenth  Earl  of 
Shrewsbury.  The  fine  pile  of 
buildings  was  designed  by  A.  W. 
Pugin,  and  much  of  the  labour  of 
stone-cutting,  building,  &c.,  was 
done  by  the  monks  after  the  manner 
of  their  predecessors  during  the 
Middle  Ages.  Adjoining  the  abbey 
is  a  spacious  guest-house,  with  re 
ception  room,  bedrooms,  &c.,  also  a 
house  for  the  entertainment  of  the 
casual  poor,  regardless  of  creed. 
The  monks  are  engaged  in  prayer, 
study,  and  manual  labour,  and 
much  of  the  waste  land  round  the 
monastery  has  been  reclaimed  by 
them  and  brought  under  cultiva 
tion.  An  interesting  account  of 
the  place  has  been  published  by 
Llewellynn  Jewitt,  F.S.A.,  in  his 
*  Guide  to  the  Abbey  of  Mount  St. 
Bernard.' 


582 


N 


NANTWICH,  CHESHIRE  (Shrews 
bury). 

In  1832  Mass  was  said  once  a 
month  by  Fr.  J.  Briggs  at  Beam 
Heath,  an  old  farmhouse  two  miles 
from  Nantwich.  The  Catholics  of 
the  place  then  numbered  five  fami 
lies  and  fourteen  other  persons.  In 
1843  a  Methodist  chapel  was  rented 
by  Fr.  E.  Carberry,  but  given  up 
four  years  later.  In  1852  Fr.  H. 
Alcock,  of  Crewe,  hired  an  old  salt- 
shed  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river 
Weaver  at  Crewe,  and  fitted  it  up 
as  a  chapel.  The  'No  Popery' 
feeling  generated  by  the  recent 
restoration  of  the  hierarchy  was 
then  very  strong  in  the  town,  and 
Sunday  after  Sunday  hostile  crowds 
assembled  before  the  chapel  yelling 
and  hooting.  The  present  church 
was  built  1855-56,  and  was  partly 
paid  for  by  W.  Houlgrave,  Esq.,  of 
Liverpool.  The  presbytery  was 
built  1875-80. 

Priests. 
Eev.  J.  Eobinson,  1868. 

„    D.  Williams,  1871. 

„    E.  Byrne,  1875. 

„    P.  Deery,  1880  to  date. 


NELSON,  LANGS  (Salford).  St. 
Joseph. 

The  foundation  stone  of  the 
school  chapel  was  laid  Saturday, 
August  4,  1883,  and  the  building 


was    opened    early   the    following 
year. 

Priests. 
Kev.  Jn,  Bramer,  1891. 

„    Eobt.  Smith,  1895  to  date. 


NESTON,  CHESHIRE  (Shrews 
bury).  St.  Winifride. 

The  chapel  was  opened  Novem 
ber  29,  1843.  A.  Pugin  was  the 
architect.  A  cemetery  was  laid 
out  1851,  and  next  year  an  exten 
sion  and  gallery  were  added  to 
the  church.  Schools  were  opened 
1857. 

Priests. 
Eev.  J.  Kershaw,  1843. 

„    Jas.  Canon  Pemberton,  1845. 

„    Joseph  Canon  Daly,  1876. 

„    Geo.  Provost  Clegg,  1890. 

N.B. — For  many  years  the 
chapels  of  Hooton  and  Puddington, 
belonging  to  the  Stanley  family, 
were  the  only  Catholic  places  of 
worship  in  the  district.  Fr.  Ealph 
Platt,  who  died  February  13,  1837, 
bequeathed  his  savings  for  the 
establishment  of  a  mission  at 
Neston. 


NETHERTON,  near  LIVERPOOL, 
LANCS.  St.  Benet. 

This  mission  is  an  offshoot  of 
that  at  Sefton.  In  1792,  Fr. 


286 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


Kichard  Vincent  Gregson,  O.S.B., 
the  chaplain  at  the  last  place,  got 
the  ex-Catholic  Viscount  Molyneux 
to  grant  a  site  for  a  chapel  at 
Netherton.  Next  year  '  a  commo 
dious  house  and  chapel  '  were 
erected,  towards  the  expense  of 
which  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Mary  Moly 
neux  liberally  contributed.  The 
school  was  not  started  till  1871. 
Another  and  larger  building  was 
opened  in  August  1888. 

Priests  at  Sefton  Hall. 
Kev.   Thurston   Anderton,    O.S.B., 
1672  (?). 

„    Eichard    Helme,    or   Holme, 
O.S.B.,  1697. 

„    —  Cuerden,  1716. 

„    James  Kaye,  1742. 

„    Richard  Gregson,  1754. 

Priests  at  Netherton. 

Eev.  Richard  Gregson,  1792. 

„    Stephen  Hodgson,  1800. 

„    Richard  Pope,  1804. 

„    Edw.  Clifford,  1828. 

„    Abraham  Abram,  1830. 

„    Geo.  Caldwell,  1867. 

„    Thos.  Shepherd,  1870. 

„    John  Burchall,  1887. 


NEWAEK,     NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

(Nottingham).  The  Holy  Trinity. 
The  church  was  erected  about 
1840  by  the  late  James  Provost 
Waterworth,  of  Nottingham.  The 
style  is  Tudor ;  sittings  for  200. 
An  endowment  of  about  £80  per 
annum  was  settled  on  the  mission 
by  the  founder.  The  two  fine 
altars  of  the  Sacred  Heart  and  Our 
Lady  are  the  gift  of  Redmond 
Cafferata,  Esq.,  present  occupier  of 
Staunton  Hall,  and  nephew  of  the 
Provost.  The  mission  of  Newark 
was  apparently  founded  about  1820 
by  Fr.  J.  Yvers.  The  old  chapel  in 
Parliament  Street  was  a  humble 
unecclesiastical  building,  like  the 


other  Catholic  chapels  of  the  time, 
and  for  some  years  Mass  was  only 
said  there  on  the  first  and  fifth 
Sunday  of  each  month. 

Rectors. 
Rev.  J.  Yvers. 

„  James  Provost  Waterworth, 
D.D.,  1836.  (This  learned 
ecclesiastic  was  the  author 
of  a  '  History  of  the  Refor 
mation,'  mainly  derived 
from  non- Catholic  sources, 
and  several  other  well- 
known  works.  Died  1876.) 
„  Edmund  Smith,  M.R.,  1876 
to  date. 


NEW      BRIGHTON,      CHESHIRE 

(Shrewsbury).    SS.  Peter  and  Paul. 

In  1879  a  room  was  hired  for  a 
chapel  in  Egerton  Street,  and  in 
January  1880  the  Bishop  of  Shrews 
bury  appointed  Canon  Frith  to  take 
charge  of  the  mission.  There  was 
at  that  time  neither  church  nor 
school,  but  a  site  for  a  church  had 
been  generously  given  when  the 
mission  was  started.  The  Catholic 
population  in  1880  numbered  about 
250.  In  June  1881  the  present 
church  was  opened  for  worship. 
The  late  Mrs.  Santa  Maria  gave 
£500  towards  the  building  expenses. 
E.  Kirby  was  the  architect. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Randolph  Canon  Frith,  1879. 

„    William  Canon  Stanton,  1887 
to  date. 


NEWBURY,  BERKS  (Ports 
mouth).  St.  Joseph's. 

This  mission  owes  its  establish 
ment  to  the  apostolic  zeal  of 
Fr.  Robert  Hodgson.  In  1852, 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


287 


when  spiritual  director  at  the 
adjacent  College  of  St.  Mary, 
Wolverhampton,  he  was  struck  by 
the  religious  destitution  of  the  few 
Catholics  at  Newbury,  and  resolved 
to  start  a  mission  there.  He 
accordingly  went  over  to  Newbury 
on  Sundays,  said  Mass  for  the 
congregation,  and  catechised  the 
children.  After  a  time  he  was 
enabled  to  build  church  and  schools. 
He  had  a  most  enthusiastic  helper 
in  the  young  Earl  of  Arundel  and 
Surrey,  then  residing  at  Dorrington 
Lodge,  near  the  town.  This  young 
nobleman,  among  other  things, 
used  to  act  as  doorkeeper  of  the 
chapel  on  Sundays  !  Fr.  Hodgson 
laboured  for  about  twelve  years  at 
Newbury,  when  he  retired  to 
Holloway.  He  died  there  Decem 
ber  27,  aged  seventy-one.  The 
present  rector  of  the  mission  is 
Fr.  H.  L.  Kelly,  M.R. 


NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE,  NORTH 
UMBERLAND  (Hexham  and  New 
castle).  St.  Andrew's. 

In  the  reign  of  James  II.  a  Mass- 
house  was  opened  in  the  Flesh 
Market,  but  closed  at  the  Revolu 
tion  (1688).  A  chapel  was  then 
fitted  up  in  a  room  in  Nuns'  Lane. 
This  was  broken  up  by  a '  No  Popery ' 
and  anti-Jacobite  mob  January  28, 
1746,  shortly  after  the  victory  of 
Prince  Charles  Edward  Stuart  at 
Falkirk.  A  third  chapel  was  then 
established  in  Bell  Court,  Newgate 
Street,  by  the  pastor,  Fr.  Thos. 
Gibson,  uncle  of  Bishop  Gibson, 
V.A.  About  1792  a  second  chapel 
was  opened  in  the  Close,  and  served 
by  regulars.  Fr.  Worswick  in 
1797  collected  funds  for  the  erec 


tion  of  a  large  church  in  Pilgrim 
Street.  Thos.  Riddell,  Esq.,  gave 
£100,  Sir  Jn.  Lawson  £80,  and 
Bishop  Gibson  £80  towards  the 
building  fund.  The  opening  took 
place  February  11,  1798,  when 
High  Mass  was  sung  for  the  first 
time  since  the  Reformation.  Schools 
were  erected  near  the  church  in 
1830,  at  a  cost  of  £2,000.  The 
Dominicans  had  charge  of  the 
mission  for  a  few  years  after  1860. 
A  new  church  was  erected  in 
Worswick  Street,  and  opened  by 
Bishop  Chadwick  September  26, 
1875. 

Priests. 

Rev.  Aug.  Janneson,  — . 
„    Thos.  Maire,  1731. 
„    Thos.  Gibson,  — . 
„    C.  Garden,  1765. 
„    J.  Jones,  1791.    (N.B.— Fr.  J. 
Cotes  died  at  Newcastle-on- 
Tyne    July   8,    1794,    aged 
ninety-four.) 
„    H.  Potts,  1792  (?)     (he   died 

1800). 

„    Jas.  Worswick,  1797. 
,,    W.    Riddell,    curate    to    pre 
ceding  1830  ;  rector  1843  ; 
o.shop  and  Vicar  Apostolic 
N.D.    1844;    died    1847   of 
typhus,     contracted    while 
attending  the  sick. 
Robt.  Smith,  1845. 
Jas.  Standen,  1846. 
Jos.  Cullen,  1848. 
Jos.  Browne,  1852. 
Jos.  Canon  Humble,  1857. 
Very     Rev.     J.      Bernard    More- 

wood,  O.P. 
Very  Rev.  Dominic  Aylward,  O.P., 

1863. 

Rev.  Geo.  King,  O.P.,  here  1871. 
Edw.  Rigby,  1874. 
'Hy.  Berry,  1879. 
Richard  Collins,  1882. 
Jos.  Newsham,  1896. 
Rd.  Vaughan,  1897  to  date. 


288 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE,  NORTH 
UMBERLAND.  St.  Mary,  Clayton 
Street  West. 

The  opening  of  this  church  on 
August  21,  1844,  was  the  occasion 
for  a  great  Catholic  demonstration. 
The  bishops  present  were :  Dr. 
BiddeH,  Dr.  Griffiths,  Briggs,  Morris 
(of  Mauritius),  Baggs,  Brown, 
Sharpies,  and  Collier.  Bishop  Rid- 
dell  pontificated  at  the  High  Mass, 
the  sermon  being  preached  by 
Bishop  Gilles,  of  Edinburgh.  A 
great  '  mission '  was  given  here  in 
January  1846  by  the  Passionist 
Fathers  Gentili  and  Furlong,  during 
the  course  of  which  1,800  persons 
received  Holy  Communion  and  ' 
forty-nine  were  reconciled  to  the 
Church.  During  the  typhus  pesti 
lence  of  1847  Bishop  Riddell,  who 
resided  at  St.  Mary's,  exerted  him 
self  to  have  a  suitable  temporary 
hospital  erected  for  the  sufferers. 
Before  the  end  of  the  year  this  excel 
lent  prelate  departed  this  life,  and 
his  mortal  remains  were  interred  j 
beneath  the  church.  His  friend  \ 
Bishop  Gilles,  of  Edinburgh,  pro 
nounced  the  funeral  oration  (No-  j 
vember  1847).  In  the  autumn  of  ! 
1881  the  church  was  completely 
redecorated  by  Messrs.  Westlake  & 
Co.,  new  stations  being  erected, 
the  roof  adorned  with  flcurs  de 
lys,  stars,  &c.  The  high  altar  was 
adorned  by  a  fine  painting  of  the 
Annunciation,  the  patronal  title  of 
the  church. 


most  of  the  Catholic  population 
had  shifted  to  the  opposite  end  of 
the  district,  and  in  January  of  that 
year  Bishop  Bewick  opened  the 
new  school  chapel  in  Felton  Street, 
Byker.  The  cost  of  the  building 
was  £1,000.  The  style  is  Early 
English.  The  Bishop,  in  his  open 
ing  discourse,  referred  to  Dame 
Dorothy  Lawson,  of  Heaton,  who 
in  the  dark  times  of  the  penal 
days  did  so  much  to  keep  the 
Faith  alive  about  the  Tyneside. 
The  mission  is  served  from  St. 
Dominic's. 


NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE.      St.    j 

Lawrence,  Byker. 

In    1877    Bishop    Chadwick,    of 
Hexham    and    Newcastle,    opened    ! 
the   old   school   chapel.      By  1884 


NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME, 
STAFFS  (Birmingham}.  Holy 
Trinity. 

The  church  was  opened  May  13, 
1834,  by  the  Vicar- Apostolic  (Bishop 
Walsh).  The  priest  of  the  mission, 
Fr.  Egan,  erected  the  church ;  his 
congregation  at  this  time  amounted 
to  about  three  hundred.  The  mis 
sion,  which  formerly  formed  part 
of  that  of  Cobridge  (q-v>),  made 
great  advances  after  the  opening  of 
the  church,  so  that  when  Bishop 
Walsh  visited  it  on  November  16 
there  were  132  for  confirmation, 
while  250  received  Holy  Com 
munion.  A  splendid  organ  was 
presented  to  the  church  by  the 
congregation  in  November  1846. 
Fr.  Gaudentius,  the  Passionist, 
preached  on  this  occasion. 
Priests  since  1846. 
Rev.  James  O'Donnell. 

James  O'Farrell,  1848. 

James  Massam,  1849. 

Jn.  O'Connor,  1857. 

Jas,  Terry,  1863. 

Martin  Maguire,  here  in  1882 
and  to  date. 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


289 


NEW      FERRY,      CHESHIRE 

(Shrewsbury).      St.    John     Evan 
gelist. 

The  mission  was  established 
1903.  A  room  was  hired  in  the 
Assembly  Hall,  and  Mass  said 
there  on  Sundays  at  8.30  and  10, 
and  on  weekdays  at  the  pres 
bytery,  12  Stanley  Eoad.  Fr.  Win. 
Baines,  rector. 


NEWHALL,  DERBYSHIRE  (Not- 
tinghani).  St.  Edward. 

The  large  Gothic  chapel,  erected 
in  this  village  at  the  expense  of  the 
Countess  of  Loudoun,  was  opened 
on  the  Feast  of  Corpus  Christi 
1886.  Pontifical  High  Mass  was 
sung  by  Bishop  Bagshawe.  The 
front  gable  contains  a  statue  of 
St.  Edward  the  Confessor.  The 
seating  accommodation  of  the  build 
ing,  which  cost  about  £1,500,  is  for 
300  persons. 

Priests. 
Kev.  Hubert  do  Burgh,  1886. 

„    Thos.  Middleton,  1899. 

„    D.  Hengel,  1902. 

,,    Maurice  Parincntier,  1903  to 
date. 


NEW  HALL,  ESSEX  (West 
minster}.  Holy  Sepulchre  of  Our 
Lord. 

The  English  branch  of  the 
Canonesses  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre 
was  founded  at  Liege  in  1642  by 
Miss  Susanna  Hawley,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Hawley,  Esq.,  of  New 
Brentford,  Essex,  and  cousin  of 
Francis  H.  Lord  Donamore. 
The  rule,  which  was  approved  by 
Pope  Urban  VIII.,  unites  active 
work  with  the  contemplative.  The 


pious  foundress  died  1706,  aged 
eighty-three.  In  1794  the  com 
munity,  being  threatened  by  the 
French  Eevolutionists,  retired  under 
the  escort  of  some  French  gentlemen 
emigres  to  Maestricht,  and  from 
thence  proceeded  to  London.  They 
were  kindly  assisted  by  Lord  Clif 
ford  and  Sir  Wm.  Gerard,  Bart., 
and  about  October  of  the  same 
year  took  possession  of  Holme 
Hall,  Yorkshire,  at  the  invitation 
of  Lord  Stourton.  In  1796  the 
nuns  removed  to  Dean  House, 
Wilts,  and  finally  in  January  1799 
to  their  present  abode  at  New  Hall. 
The  mansion  on  the  estate  had 
formerly  been  the  favourite  resi 
dence  of  Henry  VIII.,  who  called 
the  place  Beaulieu.  It  afterwards 
became  the  residence  of  the 
Duke  of  Buckingham — James  I.'s 
'  Steenie ' — and  later  on  of  Geo. 
Monk,  Duke  of  Albemarle.  The 
property  was  purchased  for  the  nuns 
by  a  Mr.  Michael  McEvoy  from 
the  son  of  Baron  Waltham.  Since 
the  establishment  of  the  Order  in 
England,  the  convent  under  their 
direction  has  achieved  a  wide  and 
well- deserved  reputation  as  an  ex 
cellent  place  of  education  for  young 
ladies.  The  chapel  of  the  convent 
is  a  handsome  piece  of  architecture 
which  in  former  days  served  as 
the  '  great  hall '  of  the  historic 
mansion. 


NEW  HARTLEY,  NORTHUMBER 
LAND  (Hexham  and  Newcastle}. 

A  recent  Benedictine  mission, 
founded  from  Blyth  in  1895.  Fr. 
Augustus  Gregory  Green,  O.S.B., 
was  appointed  rector  in  1902. 


290 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


NEWHAVEN,  SUSSEX  (South 
ward).  The  Sacred  Heart. 

The  church  was  opened  by  Bishop 
Bourne,  January  2, 1898.  The  style 
is  Komanesque,  from  a  design  by 
Mr.  W.  Romaine.  The  first  Mass 
was  sung  by  Mgr.  C.  Coote.  Mr. 
Justice  Day  was  among  the  con 
gregation  present  on  this  occasion. 
The  building  accommodates  120 
sons,  but  provision  has  been  made 
for  future  extension.  Fr.  R.  Col- 
linson,  the  first  resident  priest,  was 
transferred  to  Putney  in  1902,  since 
which  time  the  Newhaven  mission 
has  been  under  the  Assumptionist 
Fathers.  From  about  1895  till  the 
establishment  of  a  regular  mission 
Canon  W.  McAuliffe,  of  Lewes,  used 
to  come  over  to  the  town  once  a 
month  to  say  Mass  at  Albion  Villa 
and  visit  the  few  Catholics. 


NEW  HOUSE,  WATERHOUSES, 
DURHAM  (Hexliam  and  Newcastle). 
Queen  of  Martyrs. 

The  Ven.  John  Bost,  or  Boast, 
who  suffered  for  the  Faith  at  Dur 
ham,  July  24,  1594,  laboured  in 
this  district  prior  to  his  seizure  at 
Waterhouses,  September  10,  1593. 
He  was  chiefly  charged  with  having 
said  '  Masse  att  ye  Waterhouse,' 
and  it  was  probably  to  this  ancient 
chapel  that  the  Bishop  of  Hexhani 
and  Newcastle  referred  when  open 
ing  the  present  church,  October  26, 
1871.  The  structure  was  recon 
stituted  1882,  and  opened  March 
1883.  In  August  1885, 186  persons 
were  confirmed  here.  The  building 
was  freed  from  debt  and  consecrated 
1894. 

Priests. 
Rev.  P.  Fortin,  1871. 

„    Edward  Beech,  1902  to  date. 


NEWINGTON  (WEST),  LONDON, 
S.E.  (Southward).  St.  Wilfrid. 

On  Rosary  Sunday  1904  a  chapel 
was  opened  in  the  Lorrimore  Road 
by  Bishop  Amigo,  of  Southwark. 
For  some  time  the  mission  was 
served  from  St.  George's  Cathedral, 
Southwark,  but  since  1905  the  Rev. 
Geo.  Palmer  has  been  the  rector. 


NEWMARKET,  CAMBRIDGE 
SHIRE  (Northampton).  Our  Lady 
and  St.  Etheldreda. 

As  late  as  1859,  the  only  Catholic 
chapel  at  Newmarket  was  a  room 
kindly  lent  by  a  protestant  gentle 
man.  Fr.  Thomas  McDonald,  who 
served  the  mission,  had  also  to  do 
duty  at  Ely,  but  a  site  for  a  church 
was  purchased  for  £300  in  July 
1859.  The  same  month,  the  Catho 
lics  of  Newmarket  and  Ely  per- 
sented  Fr.  McDonald  with  a  hand 
some  gold  watch,  '  as  a  tribute  of 
their  affectionate  regard.'  The 
church  was  commenced  October 
1861,  and  opened  April  5,  1863. 
Fr.  McDonald  was  rector  here  till 
1877,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Fr.  Joseph  Van  den  Dries.  In 
1891  it  was  Fr.  Henry  Stanley. 
His  successor,  Rev.  Patrick  Grogan, 
1892,  is  the  present  rector. 


NEWMILLS,  DERBYSHIRE  (Not 
tingham).  St.  Mary. 

The  church  was  erected  1840. 
Style,  Gothic  ;  accommodation  for 
about  250.  The  congregation  num 
bers  235.  The  district  served  by 
the  church  is  described  as  '  one  of 
the  poorest  missions  in  England, 
scattered  over  ten  miles.' 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC    MISSIONS 


291 


Priests. 
Rev.  J.  Collins,  1840. 

Bryan  O'Donnell,  1855. 
F.  Pauline,  1858. 
C.  L.  Monahan,  1861. 
Albert  Op  Broek,  1864. 
H.  T.  Sabela,  1877. 
J.  Prendergast,  1880. 
Michael  Kirby,  1885. 
Charles  Carrigy,  1888. 
Win.   C.    McKenna,   1893   to 
date. 


NEWNHAM  PADDOX,  WARWICK 
SHIRE  (Birmingham).  The  Sacred 
Heart. 

The  church  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
— the  gift  of  the  Earl  of  Denbigh — 
was  opened  Wednesday,  May  26, 
1880,  by  Bishop  Hedley.  The 
structure  was  designed  by  Wyatt. 
On  either  side  of  the  reredos  are 
statues  of  St.  Augustine  and  St. 
Clare.  At  the  solemn  procession 
of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  on  the 
occasion  of  the  opening  the  richly 
adorned  canopy  was  borne  by  the 
Earls  of  Denbigh  and  Gainsborough 
and  the  Lords  Herries  and  Camp- 
den. 

Priests. 
Rev.  Jos.  Sweeney,  here  in  1883. 

„    Bernard  Murphy,  1892. 

„    Archibald  Fleming,  1896. 

„    Marmaduke  Langdale,  1904. 


NEWPORT,     ISLE     OF     WIGHT, 

(Portsmouth).       St.     Thomas      of 
Canterbury. 

This  mission,  like  that  of  Cowes, 
owes  its  origin  to  Mrs.  Heneage, 
relict  of  James  Heneage,  Esq.,  of 
Cadeby,  Lincoln,  and  Gatcombe, 
Isle  of  Wight.  The  chapel  at  New 
port  was  built  at  the  suggestion  of 
her  chaplain,  Fr.  Simon  Lucas, 


1791.  Fr.  Gandolphy  was  priest 
here  in  1804.  The  Abb'(3  de  Grenthe, 
an  emigre,  was  also  missioner  at 
Newport,  either  after  the  departure 
of  Fr.  Lucas  or  Fr.  Gandolphy. 
He  died  March  31,  1842,  and  is 
buried  beneath  the  sanctuary  of  the 
church.  His  name  does  not  appear 
in  the  clergy  list  of  the  '  Catholic 
Directory,'  1838-43,  but  it  does 
among  those  of  the  French  clergy 
annually  published  as  having  signed 
the  '  Form  of  Declaration  of  Catho 
lic  Communion '  against  Blanchard- 
ism. 

Priests. 
Rev.  John  Russell. 

„    Joseph  Robson,  1838. 

„    Thos.  Canon  Fryer,  1840  (re 
tired  1889). 

„    J.  D.  Mooney,  1889. 

„    James  Murtough,  1892. 

„    James   Canon  Conway,  1899 
to  date. 


NEWPORT,       MONMOUTHSHIRE 

(Newport).     St.  Mary. 

In  1790  there  were  four  Catholics 
in  Newport,  who  used  to  attend 
Mass  at  Caerleon,  where  there  was 
a  small  room  fitted  up  as  a  chapel. 
A  chapel  was  erected  at  Newport 
in  1812,  but  the  priest,  who  had 
several  missions  to  attend  to,  could 
only  officiate  there  occasionally. 
By  1840,  the  Catholic  population 
had  increased  to  about  1,600. 
The  accommodation  of  the  old 
chapel  was  for  200.  Assisted  by  the 
distinguished  Catholic  families  of 
Llanarth  and  Clytha,  Fr.  E.  Met- 
calfe,  the  priest  of  Newport,  under 
took  the  erection  of  the  present  thir 
teenth-century  Gothic  church  (106 
ft.  by  42  ft.),  designed  by  J.  Scoles 
and  opened  in  November  1840.  A 
mission  preached  here  in  Lent 
u  2 


292 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


1846  by  Frs.  Gentili  and  Furlong 
caused  a  great  revival  of  Catholic 
fervour  in  the  town,  which  had 
been  much  edified  by  the  excel 
lent  conduct  of  the  large  number  of 
Irish  soldiers  of  the  37th  Regiment, 
which  left  for  India  the  same  year. 
Schools  were  erected  in  1849-50, 
and  in  the  latter  year  300  children 
were  being  educated.  In  1858 
Catholics  in  and  about  Newport 
were  reckoned  at  4.500. 

Eectors  since  1843. 
Rev.  A.  Baldacconi,  LL.D. 

„     P.  Hutton. 

„     Dominic  Cavalli,  1849. 

,,     Richard  Richardson,  here   in 
1862. 

„     Dominic  Cavalli,  1863. 

„     Michael  Bailey,  1892  to  date. 


NEWPORT,      MONMOUTHSHIRE. 

St.    Michael,    High     Street,    Pill- 
gwenlly. 

This  mission  was  established  in 
1872  from  St.  Mary's.  The  fine 
Gothic  church  was  opened  Septem 
ber  29,  1887,  by  Bishop  Hedley. 
Among  the  congregation  present 
were  the  mayor  and  corporation, 
General  Sir  A.  Herbert,  K.C.B.,  &c. 
Exclusive  of  the  gallery,  the  build 
ing  will  accommodate  about  600  ; 
cost  of  erection,  about  £3,377  ;  archi 
tect,  W.  Gardner,  Esq. 
Priests. 
Rev.  Michael  Bailey,  1888  to  date. 


NEWPORT,  SALOP  (Shrewsbury}. 
SS.  Peter  and  Paul. 

An  obscure  mission  was  esta 
blished  at  Longford,  a  village  one 
mile  from  Newport,  temp.  James  II. 
The  Mass-house  was  an  old  man 
sion  of  the  Talbots,  and  stood  '  far 


from  the  observation  of  passengers 
along  the  road.'  In  1785  the  pro 
perty  of  Longford  Hall  was  sold 
by  Charles  Earl  of  Shrewsbury 
to  a  protestant  gentleman  named 
Leekc.  The  priest  then  was  Fr. 
Houghton,  and  when  the  old 
chapel  was  closed  he  opened  an 
oratory  in  Newport,  where  he  went 
to  live.  This  humble  place  of  wor 
ship  was  afterwards  exchanged  for 
Salters'  Hall,  in  the  High  Street, 
which  was  given  by  the  Earl  of 
Shrewsbury.  The  baptismal  regis 
ters  of  Newport  commence  with 
four  names  in  1785.  Fr.  J.  Wilkes 
(January  1796-May  1798)  kept  a 
mission  school  for  the  sons  of  the 
Catholic  gentry.  Among  his  pupils 
were  Sir  H.  Tichborne,  Bart.,  Mr. 
Swinburne,  of  Capheator,&3.  When 
Fr.  Trovell  came  in  1838  he  found 
the  congregation  less  than  100 ; 
the  Easter  communions  were  about 
forty  or  fifty.  By  1856  the  Catholics 
had  risen  to  over  600,  and  the  Easter 
communicants  to  between  300  and 
350.  The  schools  were  formerly  in 
the  stables  of  the  Hall,  but  in  1840 
a  convenient  school-house  for  about 
ICO  children  was  erected.  About  the 
year  1828,  most  of  the  old  chapel  was 
pulled  down  to  make  way  for  the 
new  Gothic  church,  the  gift  of  the 
Earl  of  Shrewsbury.  It  was  opened 
for  worship  Tuesday,  July  3,  1832, 
by  Bishop  Walsh,  V.A.  of  the  Mid 
land  District.  Mr.  Potter,  of  Lich- 
field,  was  the  architect.  It  was 
'  beautified  internally  '  about  the 
year  1842,  and  again  in  1851  from 
the  designs  of  Mr.  C.  Hansom.  In 
the  chancel  are  two  stained-glass 
windows  by  Wailes,  representing 
SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  the  patrons  of 
the  church.  In  the  library  of  the 
presbytery  are  preserved  an  old 
tabernacle  used  at  Longford  Hall 
in  the  days  of  persecution,  por 
traits  of  some  members  of  the 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


298 


Talbot  family,  and  also  of  Fr.  John 
Duckett,  who  suffered  for  the  Faith 
at  Tyburn  1644,  aged  thirty-one. 
There  is  also  an  old  '  Ordo  Bap- 
tizandi'  containing  some  interesting 
Catholic  memoranda,  as :  '  His  Grace 
the  Duke  of  Norfolk  died  1777, 
September  20,  aged  ninety-two.' 

Priests. 
Eev.  Jn.  Wright,  1785. 

Jn.  Wilkes,  1795. 

Wm.  Goff,  or  Le  Goff,  1800. 

Jn.  Reeve,  1801. 

Geo.  Howe,  1806. 

Michael  Canon  Trovell,  V.G., 
1837. 

Eugene  Canon  Buquet,  1867. 

Gerard  Lamb,  O.S.F.C.,  1868. 

Ambrose  Canon  Lennon,  1868. 

Jn.  Canon  Rogerson,  1872. 

David  Williams,  1894. 


NEWQUAY,  CORNWALL  (Ply 
mouth). 

St.  Augustine's  opened  on  Trinity 
Sunday  1903.  The  site— close  to 
the  headland — was  given  by  Lady 
Molesworth.  The  style  is  Early 
English,  from  the  design  of  Canon 
Scoles.  Like  several  of  the  other 
Cornish  missions,  the  church  is 
served  by  the  Canons  Regular  of 
St.  Augustine. 


NEWSHAM,  LANCS  (Liverpool). 
St.  Mary. 

The  mission  was  founded  at  The 
Hough  about  1700.  Fr.  F.  Kirk 
was  priest  there  in  1716.  The  estate 
known  as  The  Hough  belonged  to 
the  Hesketh  family.  Fr.  Roger 
Brockholes  succeeded  Fr.  Kirk. 
During  the  march  of  Prince  Charles 
Edward  Stuart  into  England,  1745. 


!   the   priest    of     Newsham,    Fr.    J. 
I    Carter,  received   an    assurance   of 
1   protection  from  the  Prince.    It  was 
probably  this  priest  who  built  '  the 
i    small,  ill-made  chapel,'  on  a  piece 
|    of  ground  given  him  by  E.  Fish- 
wick,    Esq.      During   the   election 
i    riots  of  1768  the  Newsham  mission 
i    was  nearly  destroyed.     Fr.  Carter 
died    October    18,    1789,    but    his 
j   nephew,  Fr.  R.  Carter,  succeeded 
him  in  the  mission,  and  erected  the 
|    chapel  near  the  site  of  the  old  one, 
i    1806.     He  served  the  mission  till 
his  retirement,  1818.  Fr.  Jos.  Marsh, 
the  next  priest,  was  here  from  1818 
to    1854.     Canon  R.    Gillow,  who 
came  in  1856,  erected  the  schools. 
He  was  a  very  accomplished  scholar, 
and    served  the    mission    till    his 
death  on  November  3,  1867. 

Recent  Priests. 
Rev.  W.  Bradshaw,  1867. 
„     Austin  Powell,  1871. 
„     J.  Bilsborrow,  1874. 
„     Thos.  Carroll,  1882. 
,,     Edmund  Kearney,  1895  and  to 
date. 


NEW  SPRINGS,  WIGAN  (Salford). 
The  Holy  Family. 

Mission  established  and  chapel 
opened  1898  by  Fr.  Owen  McNulty, 
the  present  rector.  Catholic  popu 
lation  of  the  district,  550. 


NEWTON  ABBOT,  DEVON  (Ply- 
mouth).  St.  Joseph's. 

The  mission  was  established  1871. 
Fr.  Thos.  Reekie  was  priest  in  1875 ; 
Fr.  J.  Higgins,  1883 ;  Jos.  Atkins, 
1891  and  to  date. 


294 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


NEWTON    ABBOT,    DEVON.       St. 

Augustine's  Priory. 

The  church  was  consecrated  by 
Bishop  Clifford  September  9,  1863. 
The  building  is  Gothic,  from  design 
by  J.  Hansom  ;  accommodation  for 
about  sixty.  The  English  Augus- 
tinian  Canonesses  of  the  Lateran 
formed  a  convent  at  Louvain,  Bel 
gium,  in  1609.  At  the  time  of  the 
Revolution,  1794,  they  returned  to 
England,  settling  first  at  Hammer 
smith,  and  next  at  Amesbury,  Wilts, 
and  Spetisbury  House,  Dorset.  On 
October  2,  1861,  they  commenced 
residence  at  Newton  Abbot.  Until 
1860  the  Canonesses  carried  on  a 
school  for  young  ladies,  but  since 
that  time  the  principal  object  of  the 
rule  has  been  the  Perpetual  Adora 
tion  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament. 


NEWTON-LE- WILLOWS,      LANGS 

(Liverpool).    SS.  Mary  and  John. 

Mission  opened  November  1861. 
By  August  1862,  many  lapsed 
Catholics  had  returned  to  their 
duties.  Fr.  J.  Lennon  was  the  first 
priest,  the  chapel  at  the  outset 
being  a  hired  room  in  the  glass 
works.  Assisted  by  Sir  Robt. 
Gerrard,  Bart.,  Fr.  Lennon  in 
1863  64  built  the  church,  to  ac 
commodate  about  600  persons. 
The  style  is  Gothic.  In  1903  the 
Catholic  population  was  about 
2,360. 

Priests. 
Eev.  J.  Lennon,  1861. 

„     Wm.   O'Reilly,  1898  to  date 
(1904). 


NEW    WHITTINGTON,     DERBY 
BEIKE>  (Nottingham).     St.  Patrick. 

The  church  was  opened  March  17, 
1906.     The    style   is   Gothic,  com 


prising  nave, chance],  and  sacristy; 
accommodation  for  300.  The 
opening  ceremony  was  marked 
by  a  great  procession,  over  1,000 
strong,  through  the  streets  of  the 
town.  During  the  afternoon,  the 
architect  was  presented  by  the  clergy 
and  congregation  with  a  handsome 
silver  crucifix  in  appreciation  of 
his  work.  Fr.  J.  McKearney,  of 
Staveley,  is  at  present  in  charge 
of  the  mission. 


NORDEN,  LANCS  (Salford).  St. 
Mary. 

The  mission  was  established  by 
the  Eedemptorists,  and  the  church 
opened  1904.  The  Catholic  popu 
lation  is  about  fifty.  Rev.  Chas. 
McNeiry,  superior. 


NORTHALLEBTON,  YORKS  (Mid 
dlesbrough).  The  Sacred  Heart. 

Until  the  school  chapel  was 
opened,  May  23,  1870,  the  nearest 
mission  was  at  Thirsk.  The  style 
is  Gothic  ;  architect,  G.  Goldie. 
Till  1890  the  chapel  was  served 
from  Aiskew. 

Priests. 
Rev.  James  Butler,  1890. 

(From    1895    to    1904   served 

from  Aiskew.) 
„     L.  Tills  rector  1904,  to  date. 


NORTHAMPTON.  Cathedral  of 
St.  Mary  and  St.  Thomas. 

In  1820,  there  was  no  Catholic 
chapel  in  the  whole  of  Northamp 
tonshire.  Bishop  Milncr,  who  was 
anxious  to  establish  one,  sent  Fr. 
W.  Foley  from  Oscott  to  North 
ampton  on  October  22,  182'3.  The 
number  of  Catholics  in  the  town 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


29,5 


was  then  about  eighty,  visited  occa 
sionally  by  the  chaplain  from 
Weston  Underwood.  Bishop  Milner 
and  Fr.  Foley  gave  £600  for  the 
erection  of  presbytery  and  chapel, 
opened  October  25,  1825.  A  small 
boys'  school  was  started  shortly 
afterwards.  Bishop  Wareing,  at  his 
own  expense,  added  a  gallery  to 
the  church  in  1849.  Next  year 
Northampton  became  the  cathedral 
town  of  the  newly  erected  see.  The 
present  cathedral  was  commenced 
on  October  1,  1862.  Mgr.  Husen- 
beth  preached  at  the  inaugural 
ceremony,  which  was  attended  by 
a  large  concourse,  including  a  num 
ber  of  the  5th  Lancers.  In  1881 
the  high  altar  was  enlarged,  and 
a  fine  pulpit  of  Caen  stone  erected 
in  memory  of  Mgr.  Oleron,  V.G. 
(1807-80). 


NORTHAMPTON.     St.  John. 

The  old  building  on  the  east  side 
of     Bridge    Street,    Northampton, 
known  as  St.  John's  Hospital,  was 
opened    as   a   Catholic    chapel   on 
Saturday,   August   18,    1882.     The 
'  Hospital '  was  built  in  the  twelfth 
century,  and   at   the    Reformation 
was  among  the  few  charitable  in 
stitutions  allowed  to  retain  its  en 
dowments.    It  ultimately  came  into 
the    possession     of     the     Midland 
Railway  Company,  who  let  it  to  a 
Mr.  Mold  for  use  as  a  timber  store. 
In  1882  it  was  purchased  by  Catho 
lics,  on   the    sale  of  the  property, 
pursuant   to    an    order    in    Chan 
cery.      The   church    was   restored 
at  a  cost  of  £600,  and  opened  for 
worship     by    Canon     Scott,    V.G. 
Bishop   Riddell,    of  Northampton, 
sang  the  Mass,  and  Cardinal  Man 
ning   preached   on    St.  Thomas  of 
Canterbury  and  the  ancient  fidelity 
of  England  to  the  Holy  See.     The 


mayor   and    corporation    attended 
the  inauural  service  in  state. 


NORTHFLEET,  KENT  (South- 
ivark).  Our  Lady  and  St.  Joseph. 

The  establishment  of  this  mis 
sion  dates  from  August  15,  1867, 
when  Fr.  M.  O' Sullivan,  of  Graves- 
end,  said  Mass  in  a  house  which 
served  as  presbytery  and  chapel. 
The  number  of  Catholics  in  North- 
fleet  was  about  143.  In  1875  it 
was  served  by  Capuchins,  Fr.  An 
thony  being  superior.  The  mission 
was  served  from  Greenhithe  from 
1885  till  after  1898.  Fr.  John 
Fletcher  then  became  incumbent. 
In  1906  he  went  to  Tulse  Hill  as 
priest.  Fr.  S.  Wray  is  the  pre 
sent  rector  of  Northfleet. 


NORTH  SHIELDS,  NORTHUM 
BERLAND  (Hexliain  and  New 
castle).  St.  Cuthbert's. 

On  July  15,  1784,  Fr.  Jas.  John 
son,  of  Pontop,  Durham,  opened  a 
chapel  in  a  room  in  Milburn  Place. 
Mass  was  said  here  once  a  month 
for  the  Catholics,  who  numbered 
at  the  most  thirty.  The  next  priest 
was  Fr.  P.  Willcox.  About  1793, 
the  Abbe  Duboison  hired  a  room 
in  Norfolk  Street,  and  officiated  as 
priest  of  the  place  till  his  return  to 
France  about  1803.  Before  leaving 
he  publicly  thanked  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town  for  their  kindness  to 
him  during  his  stay  among  them. 
In  1796  an  Irish  regiment  was 
quartered  in  the  town,  and  Fr.  J. 
Worswick,  of  Newcastle,  opened  a 
chapel,  mainly  for  the  accommoda 
tion  of  the  men,  in  Union  Street. 
Crowds  of  protestants  used  to  at 
tend  the  soldiers  to  Mass,  and  nurses 
would  promise  to  take  their  charges 
to  '  the  Catholic  chapel  for  a  treat ' ! 


296 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


After  the  military  left,  the  chapel 
was  moved,  first  to  Camden  Street, 
and  then  to  Perry  Street.  In  1817, 
mainly  owing  to  the  energy  of  Fr. 
Thos.  Gillow,  the  present  fine 
church  was  commenced,  and  opened 
June  14,  1821,  by  Bishop  Smith, 
V.A.  Among  the  notable  bene 
factors  to  the  church  were  Lady 
Clifford  (£500),  Geo.  Silvertop,  Esq. 
(£200),  Geo.  Dunn,  Esq.  (£200). 
Great  numbers  of  persons  attended 
the  inaugural  ceremony,  and  the 
whole  day  after  the  service  was 
spent  by  them  in  inspecting  the 
building.  Commodious  schools  were 
opened  in  1842,  and  six  years  later 
the  church  was  decorated  by  Bul- 
mer.  Next  year  (1847)  147  persons 
were  confirmed  here  by  Bishop 
Riddell,  V.A. 

Priests  since  1817. 

Rev.  T.  Gillow  (died  March  1857, 

aged  eighty -eight). 

,,     J.  Bewick.      Bishop  of  Hex- 
ham,  1882. 

„     Wm.  Gillow,  1871  (?). 

„     Eobt.  Franklin,  1874. 

„     Jn.  Nolan,  1879. 

,,     Jas.  Canon  Stark,  1885. 

„     Michael  Haggarty,  1903. 


NORTHWICH,         CHESHIRE 

(Shrewsbury}.     St.  Wilfrid. 

About  1856,  a  Methodist  chapel, 
capable  of  holding  some  500  per 
sons,  was  rented  as  a  Catholic  place 
of  worship,  and  so  continued  till 
March  1865,  when  it  was  turned 
into  a  co-operative  store.  Alter 
much  difficulty,  the  priest  of  the 
place.,  Fr.  Joseph  Fennelly,  secured 
a  site  for  a  church  and  presbytery, 
the  services  being  meanwhile  per 
formed  in  a  hired  building  in  Wit- 
ton  Street.  The  estimated  Catholic 
population  in  1862  was  about  900. 
The  present  church  was  built  be 


tween  September  1864  and  August  8, 
1866.  The  style  is  Early  English 
Gothic.  The  sitting  accommoda 
tion  is  for  400.  E.  Kirby  was  the 
architect.  The  mission  dates  from 
1840,  when  Mass  was  occasionally 
said  in  a  cottage  near  Pump  Stile. 

Priests. 
Eev.  Jos.  Fennelly,  1854. 

Michael  Power,  1855. 

John  Gibbon,  1857. 

Jos.  Fennelly,  1859. 

WTm.  Stanton,  1868. 

Jn.  Barry,  1878. 

Gerard  Boen,  1885. 

Denis  Cregan,  1891. 


NORWICH,     NORFOLK     (North 
ampton).     St.  John. 

The  palace  of  the  Duke  of  Nor 
folk,  built  in  1602,  was  abandoned 
by  Thomas  Earl    of  Arundel   and 
Surrey  about  the  time  of  Charles  I., 
because  the  mayor,  T.  Havers,  Esq., 
would  not  allow  him  to  have  a  pri 
vate  theatre.     The  palace  fell  into 
decay,  and  part  of  it  was  ultimately 
let  as  a  workhouse.     A  priests'  resi 
dence  and  chapel  were  attached  to 
the  building,  and  when  the  place 
was   sold   in   1801    these   portions 
were  cxcepted  from  the  sale.     The 
chapel  attached  to  the  Duke's  resi 
dence  was  served  by  several  eminent 
priests,  notably  Fr.  Alban  Butler, 
author  of  the  '  Lives  of  the  Saints,' 
and  Fr.  Edward  Beaumont,  a  de 
scendant  of  Beaumont  the  poet  and 
colleague  of  Fletcher.     He  was  at 
Norwich  in  1758.     In  1791  the  old 
chapel  mentioned  above  was  closed, 
and  another  erected  in  the  Madder- 
market.     Among   the    contributors 
to   the  building  fund  were  Sir  W. 
Jerningham,  Bart.,  of  Cossy  Hall, 
Norris  Suftield,  and  Pitchf  ord  Boken- 
ham,  Esqrs.     The  altar  plate,  vest 
ments,  furniture,  &c.,  were  removed 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


297 


from  the  old  chapel.  Fr.  Beaumont 
died  August  1,  1820,  aged  eighty- 
eight.  He  was  buried  beneath  the 
chapel  of  St.  John,  where  a  marble 
tablet  recalls  his  memory.  The 
fine  church  which  took  the  place 
of  the  old  chapel,  founded  in  1791, 
was  commenced  in  July  1884,  and 
consecrated  ten  years  later.  It  is 
one  of  the  largest  erected  in  England 
since  the  Reformation.  The  central 
tower  can  be  seen  from  the  Yar 
mouth  Roads,  over  twenty  miles 
off.  The  Duke  of  Norfolk,  E.M., 
was  the  munificent  founder.  A 
new  guild-room  was  opened  in 
November  1896. 


NORWICH,      NORFOLK.      St. 
George's,  Fishergate. 

The  Jesuit  Fathers  had  a  mission 
at  Norwich  '  very  early.'  Fr.  F. 
Sankey,  S.J.,  was  priest  here  in 
1647,  and  Fr.  J.  Mumford,  S.J.,  in 
1650.  In  the  reign  of  James  II. 
Fr.  C.  Gage,  S.J.,  '  effected  wonder 
ful  conversions  by  his  sermons.' 
The  chapel  was  attacked  by  an 
'  insolent  rabble  '  at  the  Revolution 
(1688),  but,  thanks  to  the  courage 
of  the  sheriffs,  very  little  damage 
appears  to  have  been  done.  The 
old  Mass-house,  which  stood  ori 
ginally  in  Chapelfield,  was  removed 
to  St.  Swithin's  Lane  about  1775 
by  Fr.  Galloway,  S.  J.  The  Catholic 
school  was  also  carried  on  there, 
and  was  attended  by  the  sons  of 
the  first  Catholic  families  in  the 
vicinity,  as  the  Gages  of  Hcngrave, 
Mannocks,  &c.  Fr.  T.  Angier,  S.J., 
succeeded  Fr.  Galloway  in  1775, 
and  served  the  mission  till  his 
death  in  1788.  The  chapel  of  the 
Holy  Apostles  was  opened  in  August 
1829.  The  bells  of  the  protestant 
church  of  St.  Giles  were  rung  in 
honour  of  the  event,  most  likely  at 


the  instigation  of  the  liberal-minded 
Bishop  Bathurst,  of  Norwich,  whose 
descendants  are  now  Catholics.  The 
mission  was  served  by  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  down  to  January  1881, 
when  it  was  handed  over  to  the 
Bishop  of  Northampton.  The  re 
tiring  priests,  Fr.  Williams,  S.J., 
and  Fr.  Perrin,  S.J.,  were  presented 
with  a  gold  chalice  and  silver  pyx 
by  the  congregation  as  a  mark  of 
gratitude  for  their  zealous  minis 
trations. 

Secular  Priests  since  1881. 
Rev.  Thos.  Fitzgerald. 
„    Henry  Long,  1899. 


NORWOOD,  LONDON,  S.E.  (South- 
war  Jf). 

A  dissenting  chapel  was  hired  and 
opened  for  Catholic  worship  July  10, 
1842.  On  the  first  day  that  Mass 
was  said  there,  a  number  of  persons 
walked  over  from  St.  George's 
Chapel,  Southwark,  and,  on  ap 
proaching  the  temporary  mission- 
house,  formed  a  sort  of  procession, 
with  banners  &c.  At  first,  Mass 
was  only  said  once  a  month,  but  a 
Mass  was  promised  every  Sunday 
'  if  many  Catholic  families  settled 
in  the  neighbourhood.'  The  Nor 
wood  chapel  first  appears  as  an  in 
dependent  mission  in  1849,  when 
Fr.  Quiblier  was  incumbent.  The 
convent  of  the  '  Daughters  of  the 
Faithful  Virgin '  was  founded  here 
in  1848.  The  Sisters  conduct  a 
high-class  boarding  school  for  girls, 
and  also  a  large  and  flourishing 
orphanage,  which  is  certified  for 
the  reception  of  Poor  Law  children. 
In  1851  no  mention  is  made  in  the 
'  Catholic  Directory '  of  the  Nor 
wood  mission  as  such,  but  the 
Abbe  Vesque  is  given  as  chaplain 
to  the  convent.  In  1852  Fr.  (after 
wards  Canon)  David  came  as  as- 


298 


ENGLISH   CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


sistant  priest,  and  for  some  five 
years  had  to  serve  the  neighbouring 
mission  of  Croydon.  In  1857  Fr. 
David  went  to  Croydon  perma 
nently.  The  priests  at  Norwood 
that  year  were  Frs.  J.  B.  Morel,  F. 
Maillard,  and  P.  Rouelle.  Finally 
the  present  fine  church,  in  the 
Middle  Gothic  style,  was  opened 
June  1,  1871,  as  a  memorial  of 
Bishop  Grant,  of  South wark,  who 
had  always  shown  a  keen  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  Norwood  con 
vent,  within  the  precincts  of  which 
he  is  buried.  The  rectors  of  the 
mission  in  late  years  have  been  the 
before-mentioned  Fr.  J.  B.  Morel 
(died  1881),  Francis  O'Callaghan 
(1881-96),  John  Warner  (1896),  F. 
Wilderspin  (1900),  Joseph  Haynes 
(1903  to  date). 


NORWOOD  (WEST),  LONDON,  S.E. 
(Southward).  St.  Matthew. 

This  plain  church,  in  the  Roman 
esque  style,  was  opened  March  30, 
1905.  The  accommodation  is  for 
about  200.  Fr.  W.  Fichter  is  the 
first  and  present  rector. 


NOTTINGHAM         (Nottingham). 

Cathedral  of  St.  Barnabas. 

The  first  public  place  of  Catholic 
worship  in  Nottingham  was  a  plain, 
unecclesiastical  building,  in  King's 
Place,  Stoney  Street,  In  1831 
another  chapel,  in  George  Street, 
dedicated  to  St.  John,  was  opened. 
It  was  at  the  time  thought  '  pre 
posterously  large,'  but  a  few  years 
proved  it  to  be  quite  insufficient, 
and  on  May  10, 1842,  the  first  stone 
of  the  present  cathedral  was  laid 
by  Bishop  Wiseman.  The  building, 
which  was  consecrated  August  27, 


1844,  is  a  Gothic  cruciform  struc 
ture  some  200  ft.  in  length.  A 
large  sum  towards  the  build 
ing  expenses  was  contributed  by 
John  sixteenth  Earl  of  Shrews 
bury,  who  also  greatly  assisted  in 
the  foundation  of  the  Catholic 
schools,  opened  1832.  A.  W.  Pugin 
was  the  architect  both  of  the  cathe 
dral  and  the  adjoining  house,  the 
residence  of  the  Bishops  of  Notting 
ham  since  the  restoration  of  the 
hierarchy  in  1850.  Fr.  Eobt.  Wil 
son,  for  many  years  priest  of  the 
Nottingham  mission,  was  mainly 
instrumental  in  the  erection  of  what 
a  contemporary  journal  described 
as  '  this  stately  Gothic  fane.' 
The  Lord  Bishops  of  Nottingham. 

(1)  Rt.  Rev.  Joseph  Hendren,O.S.F. 

Born  at  Birmingham  October  19, 
1791;  educated  at  the  Fran 
ciscan  academy  of  Baddesley 
Clinton ;  a  zealous  missioner 
at  Courtfield,  Aston,  Swynner- 
ton,  &c.,  1816  39;  Vicar-Apo 
stolic,  Western  District,  1848  ; 
translated  to  Clifton  1850;  to 
Nottingham  1851  ;  resigned 
1852 ;  died  1866. 

(2)  Richard   Roskell.    Born   1817; 

D.D.  Rome  1842 ;  rector  of  St. 
Patrick's,  Manchester,  1842; 
V.G.  of  Salford  1851 ;  Bishop 
of  Nottingham  September  21, 
1853  ;  resigned  1874 ;  died  at 
Whitewell,  near  Clitheroe, 
January  27,  1883. 

(3)  Edward  Bagshawe.    Born  Janu 

ary  12, 1829 ;  Bishop  of  Notting 
ham  November  12,  1874  ;  re 
signed  1901  ;  Archbishop  of 
Seleucia,  1904. 

(4)  Robt.  Brindle,  D.S.O.     Born  in 

Liverpool,  November  4,  1837  ; 
educated  at  the  English  Col 
lege,  Lisbon;  for  many  years 
an  Army  chaplain  of  great  dis 
tinction,  and  as  such  took  part 
in  the  Egyptian  and  Soudan 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC   MISSIONS 


299 


campaigns  ;  consecrated  by 
Cardinal  Satolli  March  12, 
1899,  as  Bishop  Auxiliary  for 
Westminster ;  translated  to 
Nottingham  December  6, 1901 ; 
received  Princess  Ena — Queen 
Victoria  Eugenie  of  Spain — 
into  the  Catholic  Church  1906. 


NOTTINGHAM,  Our  Lady  and 
St.  Patrick. 

This  handsome  church,  in  the 
London  Road,  was  opened  Monday, 
September  24,  1883,  by  Bishop 
Bagshawe.  It  took  the  place  of 
the  old  chapel,  opened  in  1867.  The 
building  is  in  the  Early  English 
style  of  Gothic  of  the  Lancet  period. 
The  accommodation  is  for  600 
people.  The  reredos,  which  is  of 
oak,  handsomely  carved,  contains 
figures  of  Our  Lady,  St.  Joseph, 
and  St.  Patrick.  Mgr.  Provost  Har- 
nett,  the  incumbent  of  the  church 
at  the  time  of  opening,  is  still  the 
rector  (1905). 


NOTTINGHAM.  St.  Edward's, 
Blue  Bell  Hill. 

When  the  mission  was  erected  in 
1886,  the  once  rural  district  had 
become  a  region  of  streets  and 
houses.  Two  years  earlier  St. 
Joseph's  Convent  was  opened,  and, 
as  the  chapel  was  semi-public,  a 
congregation  was  quickly  formed. 
The  present  church  was  opened  in 
July  1886  by  Cardinal  Manning ; 
cost  of  erection,  about  £1,200.  A 
portion  of  the  building  serves,  or 
served,  the  mission  for  a  school, 
the  sanctuary  being  ingeniously 
screened  off.  The  erection  of  St. 
Edward's  is  largely  due  to  Canon 


Monahan,  the  first  rector.  Fr.  Ig. 
Beale  has  been  incumbent  since 
about  1896. 


NUNEATON,       WARWICKSHIRE 

(Birmingham}.     Our  Lady  of  the 
Angels. 

The  chapel  was  opened  July  25, 
1838,  and  completed  1840.  Fr.  W. 
Nickolds  was  the  first  resident 
priest.  Before  this,  the  mission  was 
served  on  Sundays  from  Hinckley. 
Fr.  Alwyrd  was  priest  in  1847,  Fr. 
P.  Sablon  in  1855,  and  Fr.  W. 
Hilton  in  1872.  Fr.  William, 
O.S.F.C.,  celebrated  his  silver 
jubilee  here  in  June  1886.  He 
improved  the  interior  of  the  church, 
'  making  it  perfect  of  its  kind,'  and 
also  founded  the  neighbouring  mis 
sion  of  Bedworth.  The  schools 
and  presbytery  were  built  by  Fr. 
Sablon,  who  subsequently  acted  as 
chaplain  to  the  Dominican  nuns  at 
Hurst  Green  and  Carisbrooke. 


NUNHEAD,  LONDON,  S.E.  (South 
ward).  St.  Thomas  the  Apostle, 
Hollydale  Road. 

The  present  church  was  opened 
for  Mass,  November  5,  1905.  Fr. 
P.  Ryan,  D.D.,  rector.  The  sanc 
tuary  has  recently  been  fully  deco 
rated,  and  altars  of  brass  and  bronze 
erected.  During  Passion  WTeek  1906 
the  first  mission  was  conducted 
by  Fr.  Athanasius  Ryan,  C.P.,  both 
morning  and  evening  services  being 
well  attended. 


NUN  MONKTON,  YORKS  (Leeds). 
St.  Joseph. 

The  mission  was  anciently  esta 
blished  at  Linton-on-Ousc  1700,  but 


800 


ENGLISH  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 


its  history  is  said  to  have  been  un 
eventful.  The  register  dates  from 
1771.  In  1856  the  lease  of  the  old 
chapel  expired,  and  efforts  to  get 
another  site  in  the  district  were 
frustrated  by  anti-Catholic  preju 
dice.  The  mission  was  consequently 
removed  to  Nun  Monkton  in  1862. 
During  the  interval,  1856-62,  Mass 
was  said  at  Linton  in  a  private 
house  by  a  priest  who  came  from 
York  on  Sundays.  The  present 
church  at  Nun  Monkton  was  opened 
in  October  1870.  The  style  is 
Gothic  ;  with  seating  for  about  160. 


Priests  since  1810. 
Eev.  Peter  Thebault  (emigre),  1810. 
,,    P.  Chatelais  (emigre),  1813. 
,,    Louis  de  Henne,  1816. 

(No   mention  of    mission    till 

1829.) 

„    James  Wrennall,  1829. 
„    Arthur  Wilson,  1852. 
„    Henry  Walker,  1854. 
At  Nun  Monkton. 
Rev.  Robt.  Canon  Thompson,  1862 

and  till  after  1875. 
„    Wm.  Wilson,  1877. 
„    Charles  Burke,  1891. 
„    Joseph  Locke,  1899. 


301 


o 


OAKAMOOR,  STAFFS  (Birming 
ham}.  St.  Wilfrid's  College. 

This  is  the  lineal  descendant  of 
Sedgeley  Park  School,  founded  in 
1763  in  an  old  mansion  rented  from 
Viscount  Dudley  and  Ward.  This 
nobleman  was  a  firm  friend  of  the 
long-persecuted  Catholics,  and  more 
than  once  defended  in  Parliament 
his  conduct  in  letting  his  mansion 
'  for  a  Popish  school.'  The  school 
flourished,  and  by  1770  there  were 
about  one  hundred  pupils,  most  of 
them  destined  for  mercantile  and 
commercial  pursuits  and  living 
under  a  regime  of  Spartan  sim 
plicity.  Various  additions  were 
made  to  the  building  from  time  to 
time,  notably  in  1793  and  1794. 
A  new  chapel,  of  Classical  design, 
was  erected  (1800-1)  from  plans 
by  Dadford.  The  altar-piece  was 
a  copy  of  West's  '  Last  Supper,' 
and  the  altar  an  '  oblong  square,' 
with  'an  antependium  of  painted 
and  gilt  leather.'  High  Mass  up  to 
this  time  seems  to  have  been  con 
spicuous  by  its  absence,  and  Bene 
diction  only  given  on  the  greater 
festivals.  Even  then  the  priest 
wore  no  cope — a